Cincinnati Casino Discussion ....

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by deg1114

Just my two cents (because that is about as much as I gamble) - I think the bigger draw will be the dining and entertainment and if they put a couple of clubs in there for night life, that will draw the younger crowd. Yes, granted most casinos draw entertainment like Foreigner and ZZ Top but being a child of the '80s that is what I want to see (plus the occasional Elvis impersonator - I'm a nerd for that type of stuff). So what I am saying is if they build the casino as a secondary type of entertainment and focus on the other pieces I mentioned, I think it will draw crowds of all ages. These are just my thoughts.

It's pretty easy to find data confirming the notion that the people who visit gambling destination cities like Las Vegas and Atlantic City are (a) older and (b) more affluent than the general population. But it doesn't make sense to me that someone operating a free-standing casino like the one going up downtown would not make a big effort to attract people other than the poor and elderly. I guess we'll see.

[Wilson513]

I'd be interested to know how the revenues compare from the pedestrian games like $.25-$1.00 slots, video poker, roulette and blackjack on the one hand and craps and Texas Hold'em on the other. I assume that the players of craps and Texas Hold'em are perceived as the more sophisticated gamblers.

[rodomonte]

I lived in Reno for many years and am very familiar with the Harrah's there. Locals don't patronize it because its slots are too tight and the odds at its table games are the worst in town. It caters to Orientals from the SF Bay Area, who don't know or care about odds. It does have topless shows, which I believe are the only such shows in any Reno casino.

I would expect their Cincy casino to be very player unfriendly, like the one in Reno. They will have a virtual monopoly so would have no reason to offer any decent gambling games. They won't have a sportsbook because of the Reds and Bengals in town. They probably won't have a poker room because these don't make any money. The floor space is much more valuable when used for slots or table games.

I can imagine what it will be like on opening day. Nothing but $25 minimum blackjack tables dealt from 6-deck shoes (no single deck). High minimums on craps and roulette also. People lined up around the block. New dealers who make mistakes galore. It would be best to wait a few months for the minimums to go down (they are higher on weekends) and for the dealers to get the bugs out.

[Vegas28]

I was born and raised in Cincinnati and my entire family is still there. I have lived in Las Vegas for the past seven years in a suburb called Henderson nine miles from the strip. The local neighborhood casinos in the Vegas suburbs are totally hopping. They are gorgeous and are entertainment meccas in their own right and most locals don't go to the strip unless they are going to go club hopping, to a show, etc. because the local casinos have everything for entertainment without ever having to gamble. There is never a loss for a good restaurant, movie theater or bowling alley as they are in most of the locals casinos here along with hookah bars, nightclubs, concert venues, you name it and the outdoor pool scene is a nightclub during the day half the year. Cincinnati could really draw people of all ages down to the new casino if they make it an entertainment venue and not just gambling.