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New casinos in Ohio offer a wealth of entertainment opportunities.
As the state’s third casino, Hollywood Casino Columbus, prepares to open on Monday, Oct. 8, we offer a closer look at the four new casinos in our state.
Horseshoe Casino Cleveland
- Opened: Monday, May 14
- Location: 100 Public Square, Cleveland, Ohio 44113
- Money casino cost to open: $350 million
- Hours: Open 24/7
- Size: 300,000 square feet
- Stories: Four
- Slot machines: Approximately 2,100
- Games: 65 table games, including a wide variety of blackjack, craps, mini-baccarat and poker derivatives
- Food options: The Spread, a 400-seat buffet, includes seven stations offering lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch menus. Three Cleveland-based restaurants make up the casino food court: Iron Chef Michael Symon's B Spot (burgers), Corky & Lenny's (deli), and local Chef Rocco Whalen's Rosie & Rocco's (Italian). The casino has partnered with 14 restaurants downtown to offer fine dining rewards to guests.
- Bars: Two casino bars, Legends at Horseshoe (on the main casino level) and Vintage 51 (on the second level), offer spirits, cocktails, beers and wines.
- Other features: One 30-table World Series of Poker room; one Diamond Lounge, a VIP players lounge for Diamond and Seven Stars Total Rewards Members; and one Horseshoe Casino Gift Shop
- Live entertainment: "Horseshoe Casino Cleveland does not have any live entertainment on site. We will partner with our downtown neighbors to host entertainment and events. For example, on Sept. 30, we will host a Moon Festival (an Asian festival that celebrates fall and the harvest) with a free comedy show and concert at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel's Grand Ballroom."
- Best reason(s) to visit? "Horseshoe Casino Cleveland is located in the middle of a dynamic and vibrant downtown and offers a truly unique urban gaming experience. Guests can visit Horseshoe Cleveland to enjoy a variety of slots and table games and pair their visit with one of downtown Cleveland's attractions like the Rock Hall (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum) or a concert at The Quicken Loans Arena. Our dining options also feature the best of the region's culinary scene at both our food court, which features local chefs and The Spread buffet."
Source: Christina Karas, marketing manager, Horseshoe Casino Cleveland
Hollywood Casino Toledo
- Opened: Tuesday, May 29
- Location: 777 Hollywood Blvd., Toledo, Ohio 43605
- Money casino cost to open: $320 million
- Hours: Open 24/7
- Size: 290,000 square feet
- Stories: One
- Slot machines: 2,037
- Games: 2,002 electronic machines, 80 table games (20 live poker tables, plus 60 blackjack, roulette, craps and carnival-style games)
- Food options: Final Cut Steak & Seafood: 130-seat fine dining restaurant and 28-seat lounge; Epic Buffet: 260-seat Las Vegas-style buffet; Scene: 173-seat modern sports grill; H Lounge: 80-seat entertainment and ultra lounge; Take 2 Grill: 40-seat grill offering grab and go sandwiches, salads and desserts
- Bars: One sports bar, Scene; H Lounge
- Other features: "Hollywood Toledo is the only casino in the region to offer the new 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' slot machine."
- Live entertainment: "The H Lounge, located on the casino floor, is the perfect spot (to) relax with friends or to dance the night away. We have live entertainment Thursdays through Saturdays with bigger signature shows at least once per month. We just had Fuel play in September, Sixpence None the Richer and Sponge scheduled for October, and Candlebox scheduled for November."
- Best reason(s) to visit? "This spectacular casino marked by luxurious design and modern grandeur offers guests a regional destination with premier gaming, dining and entertainment options, as well as the convenience of a dynamic, single floor layout, all at the crossroads of Northwest Ohio. Just seconds from I-75 and its nearby intersection with the Ohio Turnpike, Hollywood Toledo is in a convenient and easily accessible location for players from Michigan, Indiana, elsewhere in Ohio and beyond."
Source: John McNamara, marketing operations manager, Hollywood Casino Toledo
Hollywood Casino Columbus
- Opening: Monday, Oct. 8
- Location: 200 Georgesville Road, Columbus, Ohio 43228
- Money casino cost to open: $400 million
- Hours: Open 24/7
- Size: 475,000 square feet
- Stories: "Gaming, dining and entertainment is conveniently located on one level for our guests."
- Slot machines: More than 3,000
- Games: "In addition to slots and video poker, the casino will feature 78 table games including blackjack, roulette, craps, mini baccarat, big 6 wheel and more. The casino's 30 poker tables will offer Texas Hold 'Em & Omaha Hi/Lo."
- Food options: Final Cut Steak & Seafood: 150-seat fine dining restaurant serving prime steaks and seafood; o.h.: 300-seat sports bar, entertainment lounge and restaurant, serving a selection of local and craft beers, burgers, flatbread pizzas, thick-cut onion rings and more; Epic Buffet: 300-seat buffet with stations including pizza/Italian, sushi/Asian, rotisserie and grill, plus soups, homemade desserts and a salad bar; Take 2: grab-and-go option that offers burgers, sandwiches and hot dogs, plus milkshakes and desserts, and Starbucks coffee and pastries for breakfast
- Bars: One bar and lounge in Final Cut Steak & Seafood; one megabar in o.h.
- Other features: "The casino will also feature an event center that can hold up to 1,000 guests for cocktails and hors d'oeurves or up to 660 for seated dining. It's the only event center in Columbus that features gaming (and) entertainment under the same roof."
- Live entertainment: "The stage at o.h. will house live entertainment on weekends and select weeknights."
- Best reason(s) to visit? "Hollywood Casino Columbus will be the largest casino in the market, offering the best selection of slots and table games in the state. Furthermore, the casino's dining and entertainment offerings are unrivaled, with a wide variety of options that can accommodate guests whether they like the finest steak and seafood in an upscale environment, great burgers and sandwiches, the variety of a buffet, or anything in between. It's the only location in Columbus to offer complete gaming and entertainment under one roof."
Source: Ameet Patel, general manager, Hollywood Casino Columbus
Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati
- Opening: Spring 2013
- Location: 100 Broadway St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
- Money casino cost to open: $400 million
- Hours: Open 24/7
- Size: 400,000 square feet
- Stories: Two
- Slot machines: 2,000
- Games: 85 table games, including a wide variety of blackjack, craps, mini-baccarat and poker derivatives
- Food options: One 400-seat buffet restaurant; one quick-casual eatery; one coffee shop; three outward-facing restaurants, which are Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Restaurant, a steakhouse and an another third party restaurant
- Bars: One main-floor feature bar
- Other features: One 31-table World Series of Poker® room; one outdoor plaza; one VIP players lounge
- Live entertainment: "The casino includes a 30,000-square-foot multipurpose space, which may be programmed for live entertainment. The casino also has an outdoor event lawn, which we also plan to program with live entertainment."
- Best reason(s) to visit? "Rock Gaming LLC and Caesars Entertainment Corporation are developing a $400 million full-service casino in downtown Cincinnati, which will open in spring 2013. As a truly urban casino, the development will include three outward facing restaurants to engage pedestrians and support existing businesses, cultural, nightlife and sports attractions downtown. Horseshoe Cincinnati is expected to attract an estimated six million visits to downtown annually. The gaming destination will employ nearly 1,700 team members and will feature approximately 2,000 slot machines, 85 table games, and a World Series of Poker room, along with a feature bar, a quick-casual eatery and a buffet restaurant. Currently under construction, the development is expected to create 2,000 construction jobs."
Source: Jennifer Kulczycki, communications director, Rock Gaming
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