This Thursday, it will be time for Cincinnatians to tune up their casino budgets. After completely renovating the former JACK Cincinnati Casino, Cincinnati Hard Rock Casino will host a grand opening of those doors to the public again on July 15.
The result will be the same variety and volume of gaming action but with a new musical tone. Live music will also be part of the grand opening, likely being the first of many such events the casino will bring to the Queen City.
Details on the Cincinnati Hard Rock Casino opening
According to the staff of WCPO, Thursday’s grand opening ceremony will include a live performance by Blessid Union of Souls at the Hard Rock Café inside the casino. The weekend’s live music at the café will continue with:
- Trauma Illinois on Friday
- Lunch Box on Saturday
- Harry Strawberry on Sunday
The new designs elements of the casino include music memorabilia that has become typical of the casino brand.
At this particular location, that will include costumes that Devo and KISS wore during their performances. There are also murals depicting other rock music icons throughout the property. The attraction for many people, however, will be the gaming options.
The casino still offers players over 100,000 square feet of gaming floor. On that floor, gamblers can choose from more than 1,600 slot machines and 100 gaming tables. There is also a poker room on-site. Amenities at the property include a bar, five restaurants, and a plan for a sixth eatery this fall.
Players can also participate in Hard Rock Wild Card Rewards. This re-brand has been in the works since 2019.
Reports placed the deal’s value at $745 million. This is the second re-brand within a five-year period for the casino. In 2016, JACK Entertainment bought the facility and its operations from Caesars Entertainment. At the time, it was a Horseshoe-branded property.
What’s old is new again
In August of 2019, the Ohio Casino Control Commission approved a license for Hard Rock, which is the casino brand of the Seminole Tribe. That was a major regulatory hurdle that, once cleared, gave the casino a connection to Caesars again.
In September 2019, a Caesars Entertainment real estate investment holding, VICI Properties, purchased the JACK Entertainment holding that owned this casino. At the same time, VICI executed a contract to make Hard Rock its operational partner for the casino.
So while Caesars itself doesn’t have a stake in the casino and isn’t involved in the operations, this new management could provide a path into OH in the future for legal online casinos and online sports betting in Ohio. Provided the state ever gets to legalizing those forms of gaming, that is.
Regardless of that future, the Hard Rock brand will soon start playing in Cincinnati.
