Horseshoe Casino Cleveland sees nearly 500K guests since opening

CLEVELAND - Nearly 500,000 people have visited Ohio's first full-service casino, Horseshoe Cleveland, since it opened to the public on May 14.

Casino officials said in its first month, the casino – and downtown Cleveland – has welcomed thousands of locals as well as guests from across the U.S. and foreign countries. Cincinnati’s Horseshoe Casino is set to open in Spring 2013 and representatives say they are hoping for similar success.

"We're thrilled that the casino has been such a popular destination," said Horseshoe Cleveland senior vice president and general manager Marcus Glover in a news release. "The lines of the first few days have been replaced by a steady buzz of excitement and casino access is fast and efficient around the clock."

Since opening, Glover said the casino has booked more than 4,800 room nights at downtown hotels.

"Having a casino right in downtown Cleveland that has made a promise to stimulate local businesses that are attractive to visitors, creates a great opportunity for our local tourism and hospitality industry," said David Gilbert, president and CEO of Positively Cleveland, the city's marketing and tourism agency.

Area restaurants have also seen increased foot traffic and heavier reservations, including a dozen upscale eateries who have partnered with Horseshoe Cleveland.

In the last three weeks of May, hundreds of casino guests dined at the restaurants bringing them a combined $20,000 in additional business. On May 21, Cleveland-native Iron Chef Michael Symon tweeted to his more than 124,000 followers that his East Fourth Street flagship eatery, Lola, experienced its busiest week in the restaurant's 15-year history.

Inside Horseshoe Cleveland casino, guests have been lucky, winning more than $4 million in slot jackpots since the mid-May opening. Table Games players have also been lucky, too, scoring more than $100,000.

The casino's 30-table World Series of Poker room has consistently ranked as one of the busiest poker rooms in the country. Bad Beat Poker jackpots have been also hit for more than $45,000 of combined winnings.

Horseshoe Cleveland’s 400-seat buffet restaurant, The Spread, and its three-outlet food court, hosted by local restaurateurs, has also been popular, serving more than 100,000 meals to customers, area workers and passersby during the first four weeks.

Horseshoe Cleveland employs 1,600 casino workers with an annual payroll of about $55 million. The casino continues to accept applications for several positions including table games, food and beverage, accounting and facilities, and offers a comprehensive benefits program.

You can follow this link if you'd like to apply: www.horseshoecleveland.com/careers .