“Phase II is definitely happening,” Dan Gilbert said in 2012. “We have an initial design of that building. We wanted just to get open here [on Phase I], work out any kinks we have operationally, then we’ll be moving full steam ahead on the design and planning of Phase II.”
Even last year, Gilbert reaffirmed his commitment to Phase II, despite an ever-changing local gambling market. Voters have been assured repeatedly that despite fluctuations and financial hurdles, the initial casino plan — the major hook used to bait local residents into passing a casino ballot measure in 2009 — was for sure still happening.
For sure.
But three years after the Phase I opening in the Higbee building, the glorious downtown casino complex, the “real casino” Clevelanders were promised, is looking more and more like the sham sales pitch it always was. What a fucking typical crock of shit. Rock Gaming announced Monday that Rock will assume operations of the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland, the Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati and Thistledown Racino from Caesars Entertainment Operating Co. by mid-2016, and Phase II simply doesn’t fit into their business plan.
In an interview with Crain’s, Rock CEO Matt Cullen said all the Horseshoe signage would be history and that they’ll find a new name for the downtown casino. And the property on Huron Ave., the land they acquired from Forest City for a cool $80 million as the site of Phase II, now looks way more profitable as a “mixed-use development,” which will include residential units.
Well of course it does. Maybe you shouldn’t have sworn to Cleveland voters that you’d deliver on your promise. (It’s a matter of principle more than anything.)
Cullen told Crain’s that the market for gaming doesn’t justify a new casino downtown. Much of that has to do with the fact that there are now 11 gaming venues in Ohio. Back when Rock completed its Casino plans in 2009, there were only four.
It gets harder to trust the Rock Gaming crowd with each word they say.
This article appears in Oct 28 – Nov 3, 2015.
DAN GILBERT IS THE GREATEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO CLEVELAND! FIRE THE DOLANS!
.That’s the typical Cleveland attitude…
Remember how the Cavs sucked without LeBron and we didn’t win a championship before him? Gilbert is not an amazing owner because he’s willing to make a ton of money with LeBron. That is why most people are stupid.
I gather it can be viewed as a wash — based on ThistleDown not relocating to the Akron area, which certainly prevented variations of economic Armageddon for the Village of North Randall and bordering municipalities.
I sure as fuck didn’t vote for the casino and THAT’S why….
Bunch a freaking liars….
Anyone who bought into the grand casino scheme has only their own naivete to blame. It was a scam from the outset. At least we didn’t replicate the same error by granting a monopoly to big marijuana this election cycle, maybe voters are learning.
its cleveland ohio time to rock i am so happy things will get better in cleveland now he taking over the casino i hope things get better cleveland rocks ok
As soon as the lottery got in on gaming, within 25 miles of the casino, I knew phase 2 wouldn’t happen.
People and voters are stupid. As soon as I saw all the vote yes on the casino stuff at the Cavs games, I was like, ****, we’re ****ed and this is going to pass. Everyone who said all the bull**** about the good this was going to do, and how many jobs and blah blah blah, were of course just saying **** to get this thing passed. ****, they pulled this same stuff with the latest Issue 3, except maybe after the whole casino fiasco people realized what they were getting into. Well, Cleveland, you basically sold yourself out to Gilbert. Let’s hope the hundreds of millions you’ve helped him earn is enough to buy our selves our first sports title since 64. Yay sports!