Dover Downs began as a dual-purpose racing facility featuring a five-eighths-mile dirt horse racing track built within the larger one-mile race track of Dover International Speedway. Governor David P. Buckson, Lieutenant Governor John W. Rollins, and Melvin L. Joseph began jointly developing the facility on the former Thomas Murray farm in August 1967. The first harness racing card was held on November 19, 1969. Thoroughbreds also raced at Dover from 1969 to 1974. In 1995, Dover Downs expanded to include video lottery machines, and in 2002, a hotel and conference center were added to the complex.