On Monday, Caesars Entertainment Corp announced that the management of three casinos in Ohio would begin a transition phase which would see the casinos operated by their former joint venture partners, Rock Gaming. The Horseshoe names will be removed from each property and the casino will be removed from Caesars customer loyalty program known as Total Rewards.
Back in February, Caesars announced it was going to sell 20% stake in the three casinos, the ThistleDown Racetrack, Horseshoe Cincinnati and the Horseshoe Cleveland. Each stake would go to Rock Gaming, a company based in Detroit for a price that has yet to be disclosed. Within the transaction, it also included the Ritz-Carlton Hotel which is located in the Cleveland, plus the Higbee Building in Cleveland. The Turfway Park of Florence, Kentucky was also included with controlling interest gained by Rock Gaming.
Caesars had continued to manage the gaming portion of the casinos after the February announcement of sale. Now Rock Gaming has control of 100% of the facilities. CEO Matt Cullen of Rock Gaming, stated that the company views this as an opportunity to leverage their unique culture and vast network of companies to grow the business and further connect the casinos to the Cleveland downtown area where the properties are located.
Back in 2010, Caesars Entertainment joined forces with Rock Gaming to create the casinos in Ohio. In 2012, the Horseshoe Cleveland opened while the Horseshoe Cincinnati did not open until 2013. Rock Gaming will be announcing additional details for the rebranding phase as well as a rollout of a new loyalty program in the near future.