Gamblers still headed out of state even though Ohio has casinos

BEACHWOOD, Ohio - Even with all the excitement downtown surrounding the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland, there’s still excitement to head to an out of town casino.

Some Northeast Ohio gamblers are not rolling the dice on Cleveland just yet.

"We hope to win,” Thelma Foster said. Carloads of gamblers lined up early, game faces on, ready to take their money on a bus trip to Erie.

"We go to Michigan, we go to New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia,” Deborrah McDonall said. McDonall doesn't plan to add Ohio to her list.

"It's downtown. I haven't been downtown in more years than I can remember, so I probably won't ever go," McDonall said.

Parking, safety and perks are the biggest reasons the bus traveling gamblers said they're not heading downtown.

"I could have gone to West Virginia Mountaineer and get the hotel room free plus money on my card," McDonall said.

It's hard to leave money on the table, and try something new. While the bus-traveling gamblers aren't ready to play that card yet, we found one couple who came downtown despite a $100 incentive in West Virginia.

“Let’s keep the money in Ohio,” Al Hennon said.

"The first time we went to West Virginia we didn't get perks so let's see what happens," Sue Hennon said.

The out of state deals are getting sweeter now that there's competition. Plus, there's an added incentive if you arrive by bus.

"We have some casinos where we charge $30. You go to the casino and get 40 back,” Allen Kinney said. Kinney is Vice President of Great Day Tours. His company runs five to seven casino trips a day.

In July, Great Day Tours will add Toledo to its casino bus stops. Horseshoe Casino hasn’t responded to our requests, but Kinney said he gets lots of request to go to Horseshoe.

“Right now, they want to know can they get in with a bonus and avoid lines? These are big things that seem to be factors they’re asking about,” Kinney said.

He’s taken a few small groups on a bus to downtown, and dropped them off nearby the casino so they could avoid parking fees.

The other factor to consider with the Horseshoe are the prices.

“If they are $25 minimums, that’s not typically your bus passenger,” Kinney said.

Most people we spoke like to gamble cheaply.

“You put $20 in and you’re playing pennies and you have a lot of money,” Jeanne Walker said.