Hollywood Casino Toledo is a casino in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, that opened on May 29, 2012. The casino is owned by

Gaming and Leisure Properties Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in casino properties, based in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. It was formed in November 2013 as a corporate spin-off from Penn National Gaming. The company ow ...

and operated by

Penn Entertainment Penn Entertainment, Inc., formerly Penn National Gaming, is an American entertainment company and operator of integrated entertainment, sports content, and casino gambling. It operates 43 properties in 20 states, under brands including Hollywood ...

, and has of gaming space, with 2,002 slot machines, 60 table games, and 20 poker tables.

History

After four failed attempts since 1990 to legalize casinos in Ohio, a fifth proposal was placed on the ballot in 2009 to allow casinos at four specific sites, one in each of the state's largest cities. The major backers were Penn National Gaming (now Penn Entertainment), which would build the casinos in Toledo and Columbus, and

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

owner Dan Gilbert, who would develop the Cleveland and Cincinnati properties. Critics charged that Penn National did not truly intend to build the Toledo casino, which would face stiff competition from Detroit casinos, and only wanted to generate support from local voters. Nevertheless, the measure passed, with 53 percent support both in Lucas County and the state as a whole. Days before the election, Penn National had struck a deal with Lakes Entertainment, a Minnesota-based gaming operator whose 2008 Ohio casino proposal Penn had fought hard to defeat. Lakes paid for 10 percent of the referendum campaign, and received an option to invest in up to 10 percent of the Toledo and Columbus casinos. Penn National bought out Lakes's interest in the projects for $25 million before construction began, after Lakes had paid $1.9 million. After the measure passed, Penn National exercised its option to buy the 44-acre property on the

Maumee River The Maumee River (pronounced ) (; ) is a river running in the Midwestern United States from northeastern Indiana into northwestern Ohio and Lake Erie. It is formed at the confluence of the St. Joseph River (Maumee River), St. Joseph and St. Mar ...

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

, site of a former

Pilkington Pilkington is a glass-manufacturing company which is based in Lathom, Lancashire, England. It includes several legal entities in the UK, and is a subsidiary of Japanese company Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG). It was formerly an independent company ...

glass plant, for $2.5 million. Construction began in August 2010. In 2011, Governor

John Kasich John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician and author who was the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001, and a Republican candidate for the pre ...

agreed to allow video lottery terminals at Ohio's seven racetracks, including Penn National's Raceway Park in Toledo. To avoid having its own racino compete with the Hollywood Casino, Penn sought state approval to move Raceway Park to the

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

area. In 2015, Hollywoodcasino.com was introduced as the digital casino for all Hollywood properties.

References

External links

* {{coord, 41.62072, -83.54545, display=title, format=dms Casinos in Ohio Tourist attractions in Toledo, Ohio Buildings and structures in Toledo, Ohio 2012 establishments in Ohio Casinos completed in 2012