Gambling In Ohio

Until recently there was no casino gambling in Ohio at all, but that is something that has at last come to change. A state wide referendum in 2009 allowed a single casino to be built in each of four cities, chosen to be Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Toledo. One casino is still yet to open, namely the Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati which is expected by Spring 2013, but the other three are all up and running and ready to receive visitors. Due to the fact that they are all new builds you can expect state of the art facilities and games, allowing you to access the best in gambling entertainment, and there are also now plans in place to allow video lottery terminals (known as VLTs) at seven horse tracks, turning them into racinos. Only one track has so far opened their VLTs, but this is an ongoing development and late 2013 should see all of them finally in place.

The minimum age for gambling in Ohio is twenty one, and all of the racinos are going to be open twenty four hours a day to allow access for those who want to play on the VLTs at any hour of day or night. It is Scioto Downs that has already opened, in Columbus, and this track features racing from May to September on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The other racetracks, when they add their VLTs, will be Beulah Park, Lebanon Raceway, Northfield Park Racetrack, Raceway Park, River Downs, and Thistledown, so keep an eye on how those are developing if you are going to be based near them during your stay.

Meanwhile, the three open casinos in the state are as follows: first, the Hollywood Casino Toledo, which has a buffet and features opportunities to play slot machines, video poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, mini baccarat, let it ride, and poker. The Hollywood Casino Columbus is located in the south west of the city, featuring more than three thousand slot machines and a good range of table games to occupy you as well as dining opportunities in the Final Cut Steak and Seafood, Epic Buffet, and Take 2 Grill. The Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland features three restaurants, with blackjack, roulette, poker, baccarat, pai gow poker, and special craps tables that offer 100x odds. As all of the casinos are only in their first year of running at the moment you might expect a few teething problems, but you will also be able to get a feel for the spaces and whether or not they are the kind of place that you would consider returning to again.

With the start of legalised gambling in Ohio being so new there are obviously only a few choices in Ohio, but they have made the decision to put the casinos in big city locations so you will be more likely to be located close to one of them during your stay. If they do well, you may also expect more casinos and other gambling opportunities in the future.