Many of us supported the casinos in Ohio, but it’s important to acknowledge that all of the revenue projections used to sell the casino measure to Ohio voters are not being met. Basically, around $1.9 billion per year was projected, while the governor’s new budget has revenues at just around $1.0 billion.

One factor is that the Cleveland casino, which is doing very well, was projected to be much bigger. There will be a phase II, however, so that could definitely help the numbers.

The new Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland has gotten off to a very successful start, as local players are flocking to the casino. There are many reports of tables being full most hours during the day as people have to wait to play. In the poker room, they aren’t hosting tournaments as the room is so full with players wanting to play the cash games. There aren’t many novices when it comes to poker rules and casino etiquette as many of these players have played in the regional casinos.

Apparently it’s not just locals jamming into the new casino. One of the selling points to Ohio residents when they finally approved the casino was that so much money was leaving the state to the region’s casinos in Detroit and Pittsburgh. Now that may be reversing, as reports are out that regional casinos are seeing a drop in business after the opening of the Cleveland casino. The numbers for June during the first full month after Ohio casinos opened in Cleveland and Toledo are down 9.4% from April for the eight casinos in Detroit, western Pennsylvania and along the Ohio River in northern West Virginia.

The Cleveland casino is beautiful and located in downtown Cleveland near other attractions like Progressive Field, so it’s no surprise that they are winning some business. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the long run.

The new Horseshoe Casino is finally opening tonight in Cleveland, and Bullz-Eye.com loves it! Many new jobs will be created and there should be a huge boost in economic activity in Downtown Cleveland.

The Cleveland casino won’t be opening in March after all.

Openings of the state’s first two casinos this spring will be pushed back, possibly by at least two months, because of delays in the licensing process.

The Casino Control Commission was told Wednesday that Ohio does not have enough time to properly investigate casinos in Cleveland and Toledo before their proposed opening dates.

Matt Cullen, COO of Rock Gaming LLC, says they are disappointed by discussions of postponing the anticipated March opening of Horseshoe Cleveland. However, Cullen says they respect the Commission’s diligence and dedication to address the many tasks associated with a new gaming jurisdiction.

You can see more about the new Horseshoe Casino at their website. It should provide a huge boost to Downtown Cleveland once it opens.

The new Cleveland casino is scheduled to open in March of 2012, and they’ve already been hiring a training dealers. Now they’re opening up applications for 750 casino positions in 40 different job areas.

There’s a pay range for each position, and starting salaries are listed on the web site. For example, security officers start at $12 an hour, beverage and buffet supervisors at $30,000 a year, and those who oversee slot machines will earn at least $39,000 annually.

Full-time positions offer a complete benefits package, including medical, dental and vision insurance, tuition reimbursement and a 401K retirement plan.

“We’re looking for personality,” said Glover, a Caesars Entertainment Corp. executive. “We’re looking for upbeat and positive attitudes, for people who have an ability to interact with strangers and provide excellent customer service.

“Some of that we’ll train, but we need a lot of those characteristics to be inherent in the individual.”

Clevelanders and other gambling fans in Ohio are naturally thrilled. First, it’s good for the local economy. But more importantly, gambling fans in the state now have another outlet to go with online sports betting.

It took a long time for Ohio to join the party. The conservative forces in Southern Ohio were always against legal gambling and they consistently defeated attempts to bring casinos to Ohio. But Dan Gilbert finally made it happen, so soon we’ll have a grand opening with plenty of economic activity in Downtown Cleveland.

Cleveland.com is reporting that the developer of the downtown Cleveland casino is looking to acquire a parking garage from the city:

The developer of a casino in Cleveland’s historic Higbee building has offered the city $21 million for the nearby Gateway North parking garage.

It’s a proposal that officials said Wednesday would benefit both sides by helping the cash-strapped city get out from under a garage that is described as seldom used while putting the developer a giant step closer to having a parking plan that could accommodate up to 5 million annual visitors.

Officials at Rock Ohio Caesars say that the casino-goers’ experience begins when they park their car. And Rock Ohio Caesars wants to wow them. But officials add that having a seamless parking plan is important for securing financing for the $350 million project.

This seems to make a ton of sense. It won’t matter for high rollers arriving in a limousine, but for visitors parking their cars, the experience needs to be positive from the beginning.

Also, let’s hope the casino operators don’t make the same mistakes that were made in Pittsburgh. The parking needs to be affordable!