Cleveland casino to open in May

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A project half-owned by Caesars Entertainment Corp. will become Ohio's first casino.

The Horseshoe Casino Cleveland was given permission by Ohio gaming regulators to open the week of May 14. Caesars owns the $350 million downtown Cleveland casino with Ohio developer Rock Gaming.

The casino, which will have 2,100 slot machines and 65 table games, including a World Series of Poker-themed poker room, will be part of a 300,000-square-foot facility that includes several restaurants.

Horseshoe Cleveland will be the first casino to open since a statewide gaming ballot measure was approved in November 2009 allowing four casinos in the state. Caesars and Rock Entertainment are also developing a Horseshoe casino in Cincinnati that is scheduled to open in spring 2013. Penn National Gaming is building two casinos in the Ohio cities of Toledo and Columbus.