The recent polar vortex led to the unusual but temporary closure of two Ohio casinos: Horseshoe Casino Cleveland and Hollywood Casino Toledo.
Horseshoe Casino closed at 3 a.m. Monday, January 6 and reopened at 4 p.m. Tuesday, January 7. Freezing overnight temperatures caused a water pipe to burst and affect the second-level food court. Hollywood Casino closed “due to a level 3 snow advisory” at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, January 5, reopened Monday afternoon, closed at 4 a.m. Tuesday and reopened the next day.
Alan Silver, an assistant professor at Ohio University who teaches casino management and marketing, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the closures “will dramatically impact” the casinos. “Any time you lose a couple of days of revenues, it is going to affect the bottom line,” he said.
Randall Fine, managing director at casino consultants Fine Point Group in Las Vegas, agreed. “It will have a negative impact, as they won’t have revenues for a few days. But once they re-open, they should be OK. They might even see a surge, as some people might have cabin fever, and they want to get out,” Fine said.
