Casino Jammed for first day !

Is traffic backed up around there on 475 and Front Street? Is it going to be open 24/7 or just set hours? As you can tell, I'm not a big casino fan.

The Parking garage was full earlier and they were overflowing to the other lot by Rossford High school.

Sorry I rushed to be critical of our awful newspaper. The second photo actually shows a hundred or more people, not a couple dozen, nonetheless, the initial photo was a bad match for the byline.

No problem I'm just as critical of the blah myself. When I went up there for a bit there was a decent crowd. Hockeyfan I believe it will be 24/7 but may be wrong. Most casinos are. I know when I used to go up to Detroit and stay at MotorCity I would go down if I couldn't sleep.

Maybe the shots are from a previous time in and are staged?

I believe there was some sort of invite-only event this morning before the general public was admitted. (My sister attended.)

Perhaps the photos were from that? If so, it would make sense that the photo wasn't crowded.

From what I can see on Facebook updates, it looked quite busy once the general public went in. (Seems that quite a few of my FB friends hit the casino today.)

Mom2 I know when I walked down they were directing cars to the overflow lots. That was about 4:30 or so.

I went at 4pm today and parked on the 3rd level of the garage. I believe there are 5 levels. I left at 6pm or so and there were plenty of spots left. Tons in fact. I don't understand people saying they were directing cars to overflow lots, but people are saying the same thing on Facebook. The garage was never full from what I saw.

Beautiful place. I didn't play at all, just had a couple beers at the bar and walked around.

How is there beer prices?

It is open 24/7. One of the food venues is kept open 24 hours a day to feed middle of the night gamblers.

The really hardcore BJ players will work the 1:00am-6:00am hours. No crowds, quieter, easier to attempt a card count.

I didn't have any plans to go inside, and didn't, but I drove through the parking lot around 1 a.m. and the parking garage was still mostly full.

Justphillips,

My brother went up there and said beer was $4.00 a bottle. Not sure what he was drinking though.

Is it too soon to start thinking about how long this venture will last? I remember when Southwyck was first built it looked wonderful. Perhaps this casino will be maintained well beyond the years that Southwyck existed, but I am thinking that in 10 years it will be as tacky as Southwyck was after 30 years.

Penn National has a solid reputation and operates in many states. IMO there is no way this property is not maintained to the fullest extent. Thinking of leaving for work early tomorrow morning and stopping by. HAve not been in there since my tour a couple of weeks ago. According to some friends, the crowd dwindled later in the evening and was east to get around and gamble, drink, etc

How is the food at the Casino - have any of you eaten at any of the restaurants yet?

As for counting cards in Black Jack, how is this casino working? At Greektown they shuffle too often to bother counting.

The burning question on my mind is, how has the casino set the games and slots right now? Are the odds and payouts more in the favor of the house because they're looking to recoup their investment and/or fleece the n00bs, or are they loosened up on the premise that more winners right now will attract more business?

If things are loose, I might, if I get bored and take my Pizza/Beer/Lotto/Party Fund jar to the casino. If they're tight in favor of the house, then I'd rather go get a pizza, a six-pack, a scratch-off, and a couple DVDs out of Redbox. I'm not inclined to gamble, the question is, what sort of utility am I going to get out of my money? If it's likely I can go in and come out after a couple hours up $20 or so, that's more attractive than a pizza and beer, hell it pays for the pizza and beer, but if the games aren't paying out then I should just order a pizza and tip the driver well - the money goes into the economy regardless.

AC, take it from your old buddy Mad Jack - you are much better off staying at home with a pizza, a six pack and your favorite DVD.

That is, if you're trying not to go broke.

oldsendbrdy actually has a valid point. The casino wasn't built with the idea of pouring all kinds of money into maintenance. It was built with the idea that casinos generate a lot of profit, much of it in cash. The profit is supposed to find its way into the pocket of the owner(s) and stay there. It isn't supposed to be wasted on fixing the place up after six bachelor parties go nuts over a bevy of beauties from Platinum Showgirls and tear the place up.

I'll give it five years before a pervasive, hard to qualify sour odor permeates the low stakes tables. In ten years you should be able to find the Men's room by the smell - from the foyer.

Hey, I could be wrong about all this and the place really will be maintained. But I kind of think I'm not. Wrong, that is.

What are you saying MJ? Didn't Penn Gaming do a great job of keeping up Raceway Park?

olds's point is correct if you look at it from a spatial perspective.

Southwyck is a suburban development, thus it was doomed to die when its suburban lifespan was over. Hollywood is exactly the same thing, it's a suburban development and I give it 25 years until it dies.

Of course, no one was saying that (wisely) about 5/3rd field, because that's an urban development. It's night and day, really.

And this makes it different from "the mall" or almost any other business exactly how?

I visited a Penn National casino in Missouri while on a business trip last year. It was a week day, and I took time to talk to many employees about their experience. They all said they liked Penn as an employer and still liked their work. Most had been there 8 or so years.

The place was clean. And for a Tuesday night, fairly busy. I lost my 30 buy in for the week day hold-em tourney in a few hours - but it was a good time.

CC

That's interesting Polly, but dealer's do not play poker against the players. If you were trying to make a point by making up a story, you failed.

still think it's funny that the Days Inn got busted for bedbugs and various skankiness. You'd think they'd spruce a little bit considering...

did that just happen billy? I am curious.

Several people from work enjoy casino hopping and chimed in on their experience of the one in Toledo. General concensus was that it looked pretty but WAY to high. Buffets were good but over priced, and they pretty much said they wouldn't go back because entry to play in even the cheaper tables was just to much.

Sounds like a high roller Casino, if so I wonder how that will fair in the long run here. I don't gamble but like to play cards, wouldn't mind trying Texas Holdem or Black Jack but I'm not going to drop $50-100+ just to play a game.

My $0.02 on the subject.

Table limits for blackjack on opening day was $15 to $25. Right where they should be. Buffet prices are $15.99 for lunch, and $21.99 for dinner. That is a decent value for quality food. Hell, Golden Corral is slop and priced at $10. If you are not willing to drop $50-100 to play a game, then any casino is not for you, not just this one.

I think INC meant $50 to $100 a hand. I heard from a casino goer that min was $25 for black jack. It will go down as time goes on.

Yes

In the old days, there were cheap minimum tables in the day, and higher limit tables at night. The "Cable Beach" model.

How much while he was playing?

They can't offer free or discounted drinks to players - is my understanding. justread - your right on the minimums. that is how Greektown does it, but even at 1am they have a few cheap tables going. These guys are pros. They know when and what to change it to.

I've always found that the higher limit tables, ie $25 a hand or more, tend to keep the less experienced players, as well as those that don't play by basic strategy away. Sure it can get pricey if you are on a losing streak, but not having someone hitting a 13 when the dealer is showing a 6 can really cut down on those losing streaks too.

Apparently traffic is backing up as everyone runs to the casino for their Friday night... probably the same thing tomorrow night too.

I have a family member who is a cocktail waitress at the casino. It has been interesting to hear some of her stories.

Starting with the rules they gave her on makeup, hair, and heels. LOL. She's a stunning young woman...she doesn't tend to wear a lot of makeup, because she doesn't really need it. But, the job requires her to cake it on. Also wear tall heels (4 inch, I think, but could be mistaken on the exact height.)

(Her sharing the stories isn't a complaint...she likes the job so far...just interesting to hear some of the behind the scenes stuff.)

What are they paying for blackjack? 6/5 or 3/2. I may give it a whirl next week during a late night out if it's 3/2.

My husband wants to go this afternoon to check it out, but he doesn't like crowds. We'll see what happens.

Channel 13 said they are expecting 20,000 visitors to pass through today.

My husband and I arrived at 11:15 am and they were busy but not crazy. It was so nice to be in a casino without smoke!! By the time we left they were getting much busier. I hope it keeps up.

Overall i liked it after my first visit. What I didnt like is The elevator design on the entrance from the parking garage is poorly laid out. No reason you should wait in line for an elevator. Also, the card tables soon as you walk in are poorly placed. Last thing you want is that daily loud foot traffic.

Buffet is similar to greektown one - food selection is small and worse than local chain buffets. What food they have is good but its not a true vegas style buffet. MGM in Detroit is way better in you want the buffet. This one is only worth the lunch price - it's not worth the dinner or weekend price.

Some of the patrons last night could have been mistaken for "working girls". Saturday night brought everyone and everything out last night. Had a blast, lost a few bucks and saw a lot of people I know.

One man's first impressions of the new casino:

Positives:
-Very trendy, hip, style to it. Classy and holds up against any Detroit casino. That matters to me and I think it's a shot in the arm to the collective self image of "young" Toledo
-I live in the area, and there were few traffic problems, outside some backups during peak hours. I'm very confident there will not be very many issues with traffic once normalcy settles in.
-"Scene" Sports lounge is pretty cool. Rear projection TVs abound. Neat effect. Worth the $4 beers. Really.
-the hum and "ding ding ding" sound of the hundreds (thousands? ) of slot machines was not overwhelming and was mostly drownded out by the live music.
-The live music was very good. Interesting accoustics kept the band loud in Club H, but not too loud
(but clearly audible) throughout the casino
-Plenty of "beautiful people" in attendance. Club H was hoppin' at midnight, DJ'd music. I've been to a million of the dance clubs that have come and gone in Toledo, and I can tell you, we've never seen anything like this. A great vibe.
-Crowded, but not cramped at all.
-Staff was friendly and by and large, very attractive.
-clean and secure. Felt very safe in and around the casino.
-smoke free isnt a deal breaker for me...but it is nice to have.
-"made from scratch" foods and in particular, the ethnic foods are a great touch. Toledo knows it's food.

Negatives:
-at times, the wait times for drinks was ridiculous. 20 minutes plus.
-dealing with certain pain in the ass people who don't know how to act in public. I guess that comes with the territory and no fault of the casino.
-Weekend buffet prices seem awfully high.
-Cab availabilty and service is going to have to get much much better.

Other comments:
-Many people griping about $4/beers. I say, "so what"? You're paying about a $1 premium, but the atmosphere definitely compensates. Too much for ya? Then stay at the neighborhood happy hour.
-Traffic is not going to be an issue.
-Table minimum's will come down...and go back up when the place is juiced. That's just the way it works.
-undoubtedly, this will be a success. I think they did it right. It's a great addition to the city. It's not going to be an economic panacea some think....but without question, it's a nice addition to the areas list of entertainment options. I'm convinced it will not bring the scum/problems so many profess.
-very little impact to Rossford as far as traffic flow, parking, and pedestrian problems.
-wow, are there a lot of whiners out there. Bitchin' about lack of perks/comps? High table limits? Backed up traffic on a casino's opening weekend? Prices too high at the upscale steak house? Please. This place isn't going to be everything to everybody.
-when I hear/read this whining....I think back to all the naysayers that poo poo'd 5/3rd Field because there supposedly wouldn't be any parking. Where did they want to park? 5 ft from the main entrance??..lol.

Overall, very proud to have it place. Once you go there you're likely to get that neat "am I still in Toledo" feel....

"-wow, are there a lot of whiners out there. Bitchin' about lack of perks/comps? High table limits? Backed up traffic on a casino's opening weekend? Prices too high at the upscale steak house? Please."

Totally agree. People will find a complaint about anything. The $4 beer complaint is just laughable. A lot of these complaints just make me think "have you ever been anywhere else?" Toledo's cost of living is so ridiculously affordable that it just blows my mind that people still find a way to complain about it.

So, in summation, dead on Bulldog. If you subscribe to a religion that prohibits gambling, then you have a legitimate gripe. For everyone else, leave your negativity at home and just enjoy something we're fortunate to have in our city.

They are getting a surprising amount of negative yelp reviews. Part of me suspects they are being posted by the Detroit casinos.

I just read some of those Yelp reviews upso. The one from Vegasbaby B in particular sounds entirely fabricated. Not only their first review, they spent over a paragraph complaining about the parking garage and then finished the review complaining about the valet? Somethings not right here...

I also just read those Yelp reviews. Every single one of them sounds suspicious. The Vegasbaby one is very suspicious, and really, one of her biggest complaints was that she couldn't smoke inside? And that somebody farted on the elevator? She sounds like a real winner. And the other reviewer who complained about how dirty the place was - I was there for quite awhile on Saturday and was impressed with how clean it was. There were a lot of casino staff walking around with those push vacuum things, cloths to wipe down the slots, etc. And, duh people, there are going to be long lines for everything. What did you expect?

Some people you're never going to satisfy no matter what. They will always find something to complain/bitch about.

I had a feeling our little city wouldn't see much of an impact traffic wise. I mean with an exit/entrance right down the street on Miami there really is no reason to go through Rossford.

As far as the $4.00 beers go, if your drinking like a fish I can see it becoming a problem price wise but whose fault is that? I can be happy just having a couple. Heck I still have beer in the fridge from last 4th of July, so if ya can't tell price of beer won't bother me.

And that somebody farted on the elevator?

Someone actually posted that in a Yelp review of a business? Seriously?

For crying out loud...

Had to chuckle.....of all the prostitutes, loan sharks, and other nefarious peoples that were supposedly going to invade the Miami St/Rossford corridor....the biggest trouble makers so far have been the Bible thumpers and their bull horns.

I also seen on their site that since opening they've had 2 jackpot winners totaling 35,000. I know that's not many people winning with the number of people that have gone through but at least someone is winning something lol.

Depending on who you listen to, there could be a convention of hookers, loan sharks, and a huge group of gambling addicts living in cardboard boxes outside the casino.
No, you can't smoke inside the casino, as with most every building today. You also can't poo on the carpets in the lobby. Surprise!
I think the big winner might be the pawn shop in Rossford right down the street that was on the news the first day talking about parking.
I don't know. I don't think the casino will ruin Toledo, nor will it make Toledo a mecca of the midwest. It is unfortunate that it wasn't built downtown. That would/might have boosted businesses and potential future businesses downtown.

Over time it is impossible to win at any casino game. The probability of winning is zero. Zero. The notion that anyone is "winning" is silly.

0. 3/2, 6/5 blah blah blah. The probability if winning money in a casino is 0 over time.

0.0

Just go to have fun. The thought of winning money is delusional.

"the biggest trouble makers so far have been the Bible thumpers and their bull horns"

Well, them and JohnnyMac!

And the protest by Occupy Toledo.

With the new casino being so busy, I assume our taxes will decrease, or do most of the profits leave the state?

I am by no means a tax attorney or cpa, and my knowledge of this comes entirely from the accounting and business law courses I took in college, so this is more of a slightly educated guess, but:

Because the casino is the actual revenue-earning entity, and it is in Toledo, Toledo gets to collect any taxes owed to it, the same as if the headquarters were in Ohio.

that's correct. Everyone get's hung up on the profits going out of state. But it's the TAX dollars where the state benefits. Casino corporations get HAMMERED with taxes. And the State gets their's before the Penn get's their's. Therein lies the rub.

Have you noticed how much newspaper, television and radio advertising the Detroit Casinos have been doing in Toledo the last week or so. Definitely concerned of the impact.

I've heard a few commercials for the Toledo casino on WJR a Detroit station over the last couple weeks.

Just got back from our first visit to the casino. We hit the higher end steak house and holy smokes... it's instantly on our list of favorite places to eat in the city. Expensive? Very much so. Worth it? Very much so.

That is so good to know, upso. That's where I want to go. What did you have? Spill!

i posted a yelp review with all of the juicy details http://www.yelp.com/biz/final-cut-toledo#hrid:AuZkbGPokjZHUAUdUuqkkA

it should be noted that we ordered waaaaaay too much food and took home a bit of left overs. while prices are high, they do not skimp on portions.

Good to hear the steakhouse is yummy! I'll have to try.

Read that Cleveland's Horseshoe Casino is evoking a dress code.....hopefully, Hollywood will follow suite.

Ha

Danneskjold; King of the Tight Wads, made his grand appearance at the Hollywood Casino today. He spent a whopping $5.00 gamblin’ and $2.49 on an Americano at the Food station. Mrs. Danneskjold, Queen of the tight wads, and even more frugal then Mr. D. reluctantly parted with $5.00 on the slots and helped herself to a free Diet Coke. Just a few observations from someone who really, really doesn’t like to gamble and has a lot of uncertain feelings about a casino in the community.

The Casino is nicely done. We had friends of ours with us from Michigan who occasionally go to the Casino’s up North and they were very impressed. Clean and stylish. When we went to Vegas a few years ago we stayed at a Casino and just walking through the gambling floor made us ill. The smoke, the Walking Dead Zombies staring blankly at the slots… It really was a depressing sight.
At the new casino in Toledo - It must be the nonsmoking but there is just a far cleaner atmosphere then other places we’ve been – both in the clientele as well as the facility. Of course it is new. The crowd was the typical casino crowd – too many seniors – we found that a little depressing but then again – it’s theirs to spend. We did not try the Buffet or the Final Cut Steak House but someday…. Maybe. We’ve seen the reviews on here for the Steakhouse and that might just be a special occasion treat some night.

I’ll withhold any political commentary. I don’t think even the brightest minds have made adequate studies about the pros and cons but I recognize that Detroit has had them in pace for some time and they are in worse shape now than ever. Would Detroit be in even worse shape if they were not there? I don’t know.

Bottom line… Gamblin’ ain’t my thing but after visiting the Casino if I knew someone interested in gambling and they asked me about the Casino I would say… “It appears to be a fine establishment for these who endeavor in games of chance.”