Jack Entertainment (formerly known as Rock Gaming LLC from 2009 to 2016) is a

gaming Gaming may refer to: Games and sports The act of playing games, as in: * Legalized gambling, playing games of chance for money, often referred to in law as "gaming" * Playing a role-playing game, in which players assume fictional roles * Playing ...

hospitality Hospitality is the relationship of a host towards a guest, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill and welcome. This includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis de Jaucourt, Louis, ...

, and

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...

company based in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. The company operates two gaming facilities in Ohio,

Jack Cleveland Casino Jack Cleveland Casino (formerly Horseshoe Cleveland) is a casino in the downtown core of Cleveland, Ohio, United States, owned by Vici Properties and operated by Jack Entertainment. Casino Jack Cleveland Casino is located in the former Higbee ...

and

Jack Thistledown Racino Jack Thistledown Racino is a thoroughbred race track and casino in North Randall, Ohio, at the outskirts of the city of Cleveland. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Jack Entertainment. History and Information The track came unde ...

History

Rock Gaming (2009–2016)

Jack Entertainment was founded as Rock Gaming in 2009 by seven businessmen led by

Dan Gilbert Daniel Gilbert (born January 17, 1962) is an American billionaire, businessman, and philanthropist. He is the co-founder and majority owner of Rocket Mortgage and founder of Rock Ventures. Gilbert owns several sports franchises, including the ...

, as chairman of its board and Matt Cullen as chief executive officer. The company was formed as the seven men backed the Ohio Casino Approval and Tax Distribution Amendment, which was ultimately approved by voters in November 2009. In May 2012, Rock Gaming, in a joint venture with

Caesars Entertainment Caesars Entertainment, Inc., formerly Eldorado Resorts, Inc., is an American hotel and casino entertainment company founded and based in Reno, Nevada, that operates more than 50 properties. Eldorado Resorts acquired Caesars Entertainment Corpora ...

, opened

Horseshoe Casino Cleveland Jack Cleveland Casino (formerly Horseshoe Cleveland) is a casino in the downtown core of Cleveland, Ohio, United States, owned by Vici Properties and operated by Jack Entertainment. Casino Jack Cleveland Casino is located in the former Higbee ...

as well as gained a stake in a Kentucky racetrack,

Turfway Park Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located within the city limits of Florence, Kentucky, about south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati. The track conducts live Thoroughbred horse racing during two meets each year—Holiday (December), ...

. The company quickly expanded in 2013, opening ThistleDown Racino in the nearby Cleveland suburb of North Randall and Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati. In that same year, the company acquired the Greektown Casino-Hotel in Detroit. In April 2015, the company took on an operational focus and was approved by Ohio Casino Control Commission to be licensed as a management company. That same year, Rock Gaming bought out Caesars's minority equity interests and management contract, and assumed full operational control and full ownership of its Ohio gaming properties.

Jack Entertainment (2016–present)

On February 23, 2016, the company announced it was changing its name from Rock Gaming to Jack Entertainment. Throughout 2016, the company would also rebrand its casinos under the Jack name. The company stated it planned to spend $40 million on the rebranding. It also introduced a new customer loyalty program, ClubJack. In September 2018, it was reported that Gilbert was looking to sell Jack Entertainment and exit the casino business. Two months later, Jack entered into an agreement to sell the Greektown casino to

Vici Properties Vici Properties Inc. is an American real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in casino and entertainment properties, based in New York City. It was formed in 2017 as a spin-off from Caesars Entertainment Corporation as part of its bankr ...

and

Penn National Gaming 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 ...

for a total of $1 billion. In September 2019, Jack Entertainment sold its Cincinnati casino for $745 million to Vici and

Hard Rock International Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a chain of theme bar-restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, hotels and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a ...

. The next month, Jack sold Turfway Park to Churchill Downs, Inc. for $36 million. In January 2020, the company also sold the real estate assets associated with its Cleveland casino and the Thistledown racino to Vici in a sale leaseback transaction. Later in 2020, Gilbert sold his controlling stake in Jack Entertainment to a group of the company's managers, led by chairman Matthew Cullen and CEO Mark Dunkeson. In June 2021, Jack moved its headquarters to

Terminal Tower Terminal Tower is a 52-story, , landmark skyscraper located on Public Square in the downtown core of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Built during the skyscraper boom of the 1920s and 1930s, it was the second-tallest building in the world when ...

in Cleveland.

Properties

Former properties

References

External links

*
Rock Ventures – Gaming
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093434/http://www.rockventures.com/gaming/ , date=2016-03-04 Gambling companies of the United States Hospitality companies of the United States Companies based in Cleveland Entertainment companies established in 2009 2009 establishments in Michigan Rock Ventures