Jacks casino wiki

The Horseshoe Cleveland Casino in May will become Jack Cleveland Casino, a new name to reflect the loss of the Caesar's umbrella the casino has stood under since it opened in May 2012.

Rock Gaming LLC became Jack Entertainment LLC Tuesday, taking over management of the Cleveland and Cincinnati casinos and the ThistleDown Racino, as well as some out-of-state properties, when it bought out Caesars Entertainment Corp.

So what does this mean for Cleveland? What about the long-promised Phase 2 along the Cuyahoga River?

That's going to become a mixed-use development, execuvites said Tuesday.

Remember the original plan? Check out how the casino came to be, in this timeline.

-- Robert Higgs, cleveland.com

Feb. 24, 2016

File photo

Jack the new name in Cleveland's casino history: A timeline

What is the name Jack supposed to mean?

"Jack is a place, it's an attitude, it's a perspective and it's a persona," said Mark Dunkeson, Jack Entertainment's president and CEO. "Through innovation, excellence and service and loving our team members and loving our guests, we believe our future is very bright."

(By the way, though the company spells its name all in caps, the name is not an acronym.)

Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer Publishing Co.

Clearing the way

Ohio voters cleared the way for casinos when they approved a constitutional amendment in November 2009. The vote allowed casinos specifically in Toledo, Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert promised to build a glitzy $600 million casino on downtown's riverbank, though that was not part of the official language.

Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Downtown plan unveiled

Rock Gaming's Dan Gilbert, left, and Caesars CEO Gary Loveman unveiled a rendering of the new Horseshoe Cleveland Casino on Feb. 3, 2011. The casino was planned to open in the Higbee Building in 2012, with a new $600 milion casino to be constructed later on Huron Road near the Cuyahoga River.

Horseshoe Cleveland Casino opened in May 2012. Seen here are crowded poker tables, which early on were among the busiest in the country.

Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Early success

Cleveland's casino was the first to open in Ohio. Rock Gaming also opened the state's fourth casino, Horseshoe Cincinnati, the last to open in Ohio, in 2013.

John Kuntz, cleveland.com

Expanding to the track

Rock Gaming opened one of seven of Ohio's racinos at ThistleDown in 2013. Here patrons look over the video lottery terminals on opening day that April.

Phase 2 detoured

Rock Venture, the predecessor to Rock Gaming, originally planned to use the Higbee Buildling while a new casino was erected nearby along Huron Road.

That $600-million complex was scheduled to open in 2013, but was never built.

Jack Entertainment CEO Matt Cullen said Tuesday the company still intends to pursue some sort of mixed-use development for that site, but that there was not enough demand for a bigger casino. He didn't offer a timetable, though in November he said it would take a few years.

He said then the Cleveland market did not have enough demand for Phase 2, but the development of Public Square and the east bank of the Flats will make mixed-use development feasible.

"We're really committed to the city of Cleveland. We're really focused on continuing to invest in the city," Cullen said Tuesday. "At this point our sense is that the gaming market in Northeast Ohio doesn't support additional capacity."

Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer

New name for a new brand

On Tuesday Rock Gaming announced its new name as part of a $40 million rebranding.

Rock Gaming became Jack Entertainment. The names of its properties in Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan ultimately will get new names, too.

First up is ThistleDown, which will become Jack ThistleDown Racino in March. It is undergoing a $90 million renovation that should be finished in April.

In May, Horseshoe Cleveland will become Jack Cleveland Casino. Horseshoe Cincinnati will follow suit in June, becoming Jack Cincinnati Casino.