marketing-driven douche-plosion

Yeah, I was trying to be open minded but the longer I was at the new casino the more pissed I got.
It was like someone cherry picked the things I hated most about suburbia, malls and amusement parks and jammed all those things into one building.
I'm gonna try not to be a hater, but I won't be back again either.
Why go to Margaritaville when you got Bakersfield?
Why go to Bobs Burger place when you got Terry's Turf Club?
Why go to that faux Italia place when you got A Tovola?
Why? Mall mentality is all I can figure.

Horseshoe Casino
Horseshoe Casino
Horseshoe Casino
Horseshoe Casino
The plaza was interesting with its High Line like strips of granite and grass.
Horseshoe Casino
Reading Rd feels like an alien planet now, seven lanes wide and this thing.
Horseshoe Casino
The weird lights outside wouldn't let my camera focus but I liked this picture anyhow.
Horseshoe Casino
[where: 45202] best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati

27 rolls of the dice

27 comments:

  1. Hahahahahahahaha! I would expect no less from this place!

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  2. You were expecting... what, exactly? It's a casino. They're in business to distract you as they take your money. I was there last night. There was nothing unexpected for me. I didn't care for it, but I'm not a gambler. To each their own.

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  3. I didn't know what to expect and it was even worse than I imagined it could be.
    But lets be honest, I'm not their target audience. I guess its people who need manufactured experiences flock to these things.

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  4. Ugh. Well, I guess middle-aged Jimmy Buffet fans should be allowed to have their fun too...

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  5. I won't wish it to fail, but I'll still be wishing the casino was never here.

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  6. LOL - that wall will look great after it gets tagged a dozen times.
    I only visited Las Vegas because I knew a guy who lived there. It was a trip - it's also what we should have done in Ohio.
    Anyway, I don't want to say this in a pompous manner, but it's just another place I will probably never visit.

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  7. OMG!! Lets do a kickstarter to provide grants for taggers!!
    First up, the waffle guy!!

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  8. Trying to think of another $400,000,000 project thats privately funded to go in downtown that will work WITH downtown restaurants and hotels and support more people coming (and staying) downtown (note: those visitors dont live downtown).

    Everyone gets an opinion, but this (the casino) is a good deal for the 45202.

    It would take 20+ years to get an equivalent investment to Horseshoe right smack dab downtown, not to mention red tape for miles.

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    1. who says the downtown restaurants want the groupon wielding clientele of the casino?

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  9. One more note: they are helping serve the community too;

    "Profits from Wednesday's dry run will be given to charity"

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  10. Funny how everyone says the casino will help the city.
    Ever been to Atlantic City? The casinos have sucked that place dry and spit it out.
    People will drive into the city to lose their money which will flow to Vegas and then they'll drive home.
    I don't see anywhere in that formula that helps Cincinnati.
    Then when you add the cost of police and other social services that have to pick up the slack. They're estimating it will cost Cincinnati $3 for every $1 they make in taxes.

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  11. A few of my co-workers at work attended the preview last night and were pretty against it. Personally, I think it's a huge eyesore...a desert colored building that really does nothing for the city. I will never be putting money into the casino or the restaurants.

    P.s. There's a casino buildboard at the intersection of Central Parkway and McMillian that has been taged with a "decide now" and "RIP OTR" tombstone on it. Someone obviously opposes it.

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  12. Every day we all encounter things that are not aimed at us; that we are completely and totally NOT the demographic being courted. One can either be pissed that the world doesn't revolve around our erudite tastes, or get on with life and just say, "to each his own." Hell, I could walk through OTR and point to a few places that I hardly ever give a second thought about (except for maybe, "how in the hell do they stay in business?"). My guess is that you won't be going to that big concrete oval in Kentucky where the drivers do nothing but turn left for hours on end, either. So what. I went the entire Christmas season without entering a mall. Does Kenwood care? Not really. I'm not their target. Do I care about Kenwood? Well, maybe the Apple Store once in a blue moon when I have a missing cable emergency, but... no, not realy. Let the mall rats congregate.

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    1. Well said. I tire of reading posts from urbanites who do nothing but poo-poo anything that doesn't fit their definition of cool. For pete's sake people! If the majority thought was cool what you think is cool, it wouldn't be cool any more. It'd be Appleby's.

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  13. Looking at the first picture of the front of the building, I almost confused the horseshoe logo for a 'W' and read the sign as 'WHORESHOE'.

    It's your for the taking, 5chw4r7z.

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  14. Hold up... are you saying there aren't plenty of douches at Bakersfield?

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  15. I'm going with it Matt, I'll be photochoppin next chance I get.

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  16. "Funny how everyone says the casino will help the city. "

    I'm 100% sure you have seen this, but for everyone else:

    Each day, taxes are collected for the state casino tax revenue fund. From there, it's distributed to the state, counties and host cities broken down into seven funds:

    51% to all Ohio counties based on population
    34% to all school districts based on student population, with first distribution in January
    5% to the host city
    3% to the Casino Control Commission
    3% to the Ohio State Racing Commission
    2% to the Law Enforcement Training Fund
    2% to the Problem Casino Gambling and Additions Fund

    From October to December, with three casinos in operation, the gross casino revenue fund totaled more than $52 million.

    Hamilton County got a check for $926K
    CPS got a check for $642K

    And what did Cincinnati or CPS or HCounty have to do for that money??? Not a darn thing.

    For the Q2-2013 period, City of Cincy will also get an additional share of the 5% allocated for the host cities.

    This doesnt mention jobs at the casino, parking garages, shuttles from hotels (who will see a bump) restaurants at said hotels, restaurants who have deals with casino.

    I'm fine if some don't like it. All I'm pointing out is that there is not another realistic $400M private investment into Cincinnati that would bring the economic impact that the casino does.

    Douches driving in and driving out? So what!!!! Would you rather they do the same to Lawrenceburg and have them and state of IN get all the money?

    To the poster who mentioned the KY motor speedway; great example. Hotels in Cincy are nearly sold out that weekend, and the city doesn't have to do a thing.

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  17. Nice theory, too bad it doesn't work in practice.
    Look at Atlantic City, its a giant slum.
    Cincinnati gets 5%? wow.
    If you spend your money at Park+Vine 70% of the money stays in Cincinnati.

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    1. My guess is Atlantic City's main industry is gaming. The Horseshoe will be a small part of Cincinnati's. And I'd venture to say not many people spending their time at the casino are foregoing a trip over to Park+Vine.

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  18. I'm not sure I can see this as being a real positive move for Cincinnati. Rather, I can see it encouraging more of the bridge and tunnel crowd, who live outside of the city limits and won't leave the walls of the casino to spend cash in real local businesses. Will it bring in tax money? Sure. Will it create jobs? Sure.

    However, let's think about the casino operating model. Get them in, and don't let them leave. Let them migrate in on the seven lanes of Reading Road, then send them right back to 71 and on their merry way to Batavia when they are finished. It doesn't seem poised to move people back into the city with their mortgages and income tax dollars, nor does it seem poised to send people to Bakersfield, MOTR Pub or Park & Vine during their visit.

    Could you see the Horseshoe Casino spending their own money to build a streetcar extension from the main line into the casino itself, not just outside of its walls, without leaning heavily on incentives from the city (or, God forbid, state)? Doubtful. It wouldn't draw their target crowd in, and would only send their patrons out.

    Time will tell, I suppose.

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  19. Can we stop with the Atlantic City comparisons? It's like saying the US is teetering on the brink of becoming another Greece economically. There are TWELVE casinos in Atlantic City. Tourism and the casino trade are a substantial portion of the total economic activity in Atlantic City. We have Proctor & Gamble, Kroger, GE, et al anchoring the economic base of our region. Unlike Atlantic City, Cincinnati isn't throwing a hail mary pass to gambling in an attempt to climb out of economic despair. We would be on the rise without the casino. With it, there will be some extra dollars in various government tills. Cincinnati isn't in any danger of a festering wasteland ringing the casino. Stop the hyperbole.

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  20. OK, anon, whats the casino done for Lawrenceburg? Or all the places they've failed bad comparisons?

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    1. I just made a cogent case against directly comparing Cincinnati to Atlantic City. Your turn. Make a case for Lawrenceburg and Cincinnati being parallel cases that allow for direct comparison. Go.

      Jay

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    2. I don't need to make a case, casino are a net drag to every city not named Las Vegas.

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    3. RE: net drag

      Facts? links? references? math? examples?

      Just because you say it, doesn't make the case.

      Jay

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  21. Casino's cannibalize existing businesses, weaken communities, and unfairly distort free market.
    Casinos economic costs exceed tax revenues.

    The NH Gaming Study Commission found that (if Massachusetts casinos were legalized and Massachusetts social costs are included) Millennium Gaming’s proposed Rockingham Park casino would cause $143-288 million in uncompensated social and economic costs, greater than its projected $150 million in tax revenues

    http://www.noslots.com/documents/30ReasonsToOppose.htm

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