Toledo's flashy new casino could draw gamblers from Detroit | gambler

TOLEDO ? This city?s new casino is ready for its close-up.

The Glass City is going for Tinseltown glitz with next week?s opening of the second of four casinos planned for Ohio, this one evoking the art deco glamour of Hollywood past.

Big movie posters and publicity shots of Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Tony Curtis and Audrey Hepburn shape the $270-million Hollywood Casino Toledo?s d?cor, with a heavy overlay of video screens.

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Owner Penn National Gaming plans a gala debut May 29, hoping gamblers find that the casino stacks up well against Detroit?s three gambling halls, which are likely to lose customers to Ohio, particularly early on, with regular gamblers curious to see what Toledo offers.

The only things missing Monday during a tour were customers ? dealers, servers, cooks and others were running through practice games and preparing food in rehearsal ? and the constant drone of the jingles and tones of slot machines, which weren?t in full operation.

One more thing that was missing: smoke.

Toledo?s casino, like the Caesars Windsor casino, will be smoke-free, a key reason metro Detroiters who patronize the MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity and Greektown casinos may flock south. The casino is an hour drive or less for many residents of southeast Michigan, right into covered parking with about 2,600 spaces.

?It?s easily accessible,? said Richard St. Jean, Toledo casino general manager. ?The parking?s great. It?s a nice, fresh, clean environment. But what were really proud of is ? we?re going to have the friendliest team members, bar none.?

Games and glass

Workers were putting finishing touches on the casino Monday. It will feature 2,002 slot machines, 20 poker tables, 60 tables for blackjack, craps, roulette and other games in its 125,000 square feet of gaming space. It also includes restaurants, such as the high-end Final Cut Steak and Seafood, an Epic Buffet, a sandwich shop and two flashy bars, one with a stage with nightly live entertainment.

The decor is all 1930s, with modern touches such as ornate cast-resin pillars made to look like carved stone.

Designs in red, blue and gold swirl on gaming floor carpets. A high-limit gambling area is open to the rest of the casino but separated by pillars and golden gates.

The main Scene Bar, a sleek sports bar that will offer gourmet versions of pub fare, is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling panes of glass with dozens of large video screens offering multiple sports to watch. It?s at the center of the casino and is anchored by a lighted bar shared with an entertainment lounge.

Signs above the cashier station and other spots are in backlit red art deco fonts, and restroom entrances are framed with glowing blue glass panes.

The casino is expecting thousands of people to show up for the opening, preceded by an invitation-only ribbon cutting. About 2.8 million visitors are expected a year.

Possible hit to Detroit

Ohio voters approved in 2009 a casino in each of Ohio?s four largest cities. The first, the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland owned by Quicken Loans Chairman Dan Gilbert, opened last week. Casinos in Columbus and Cincinnati will open later.

Analysts said Detroit?s casinos could take as much as a 5% hit to their revenues once all of the Ohio casinos are up and running. A study done for the city estimates it will lose $30 million a year in revenue by 2015. Mayor Dave Bing?s administration said it is already factoring that loss into its budgets.

Emphasis on service

Toledo?s casino does not have a hotel, while each of Detroit?s has a 400-room hotel. The MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity also have spas and restaurants affiliated with big-name chefs.

The Hollywood Casino doesn?t shoot quite so high, aiming to become more of a local destination that attracts visitors from northwest Ohio and nearby parts of Michigan and Indiana. The Toledo casino will partner with the Park Inn and Grand Plaza hotels downtown, offering shuttles to the casino and reduced rates at those and five suburban hotels.

The casino will employ 1,300 people, and given the competition from cities in Ohio and Michigan, workers such as John Mollica, an assistant supervisor for table games, said the emphasis will be on friendly, prompt service.

?Everyone needs to be a good host,? Mollica said. ?If you don?t provide excellent customer service, you don?t get people to return.?

Contact Matt Helms: 313-222-1450 or mhelms@freepress.com

More Details: What to know if you want to go

Drive: Hollywood Casino Toledo is at 777 Hollywood Boulevard, Exit 199B off I-75 just across the Maumee River from downtown Toledo

Park: 3,000 spots, 2,600 in a covered garage; valet is $5

Play: 2,002 slots, 20 poker tables and 60 others

Eat: Final Cut steakhouse (entrees $19-$55), a buffet ($15.99 for lunch, $21.99 for dinner), a sandwich shop and the Scene Bar and H Lounge

Party: Nightly live entertainment, bands and DJs.

More info: 419-661-5200 or www.hollywoodcasinotoledo .com , where you can find menus and make steakhouse reservations with the casino?s iPhone app

Article source: http://www.freep.com/article/20120522/NEWS06/205220373/Toledo-s-flashy-new-smoke-free-casino-could-draw-gamblers-from-Detroit?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

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