Cleveland has three gaming floors within about 25 minutes of Public Square, and they are not interchangeable. One is a full casino with 89 table games and a 24-hour poker room. The other two are racinos, which under Ohio law may offer video lottery terminals and nothing else. Knowing that split before you drive saves the most common disappointment we hear about from Cleveland players: arriving at Northfield Park for blackjack.
The Ohio rule, in one paragraph
Ohio licenses two kinds of property. Its four commercial casinos, in Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo and Cincinnati, may run slot machines, live table games and poker. Its seven racinos may run only video lottery terminals, or VLTs, which are lottery-regulated machines that look and play like slots. No racino in the state has a blackjack table, a craps pit or a poker room. Every casino and racino in Ohio requires players to be 21.
The three floors
| JACK Cleveland Casino | JACK Thistledown Racino | Northfield Park Racino | |
| Type | Full casino | Racino, VLTs only | Racino, VLTs only |
| Where | Higbee Building, Public Square | North Randall, about 20 minutes south-east | Between Cleveland and Akron |
| Machines | 1,600+ slots | 1,400+ VLTs | 2,000+ VLTs |
| Tables | 89, second most in Ohio | None | None |
| Poker | 26 tables, 24 hours | None | None |
| Racing | None | Thoroughbred and harness; Ohio Derby | Harness, 200+ dates a year |
| Parking | Paid, downtown | Free | Free |
| Google rating | 3.9, 13,000+ reviews | 4.0, about 6,000 reviews | 4.1, 13,000+ reviews |
| Opened | 14 May 2012 | Gaming floor 9 April 2013 | Rebranded from MGM Northfield Park |
JACK Cleveland Casino: the only live pit
JACK Cleveland opened on 14 May 2012 as Ohio's first full-service casino, originally under the Horseshoe name. It occupies the historic Higbee Building on Public Square, the former department store known to many as the toy shop from A Christmas Story. The floor runs to roughly 96,000 square feet with more than 1,600 slot machines and 89 table games. The poker room, upgraded in 2022, runs 26 tables across 6,400 square feet and is open 24 hours a day, spreading 1/3 and 2/5 no-limit hold'em and 1/2 pot-limit Omaha most hours. A genuinely 24-hour poker room is rare in the Midwest; Ohio's largest room, in Columbus, closes from 4am to 10am.
There is no hotel attached, but the casino has arrangements with the Renaissance, the Ritz-Carlton and the Marriott at Key Center, all within walking distance. Access is from Public Square, Terminal Tower or through the Tower City Center mall, which connects to the RTA rail system. Parking is paid rather than free, so take the train if you can.
JACK Thistledown Racino: racing first
Thistledown is a racetrack that acquired a casino, not the other way round. The gaming floor opened on 9 April 2013 with more than 1,400 VLTs, running from penny denominations to $500 machines. The racing is the real draw: both flat and harness cards, and it is home to the Ohio Derby and the Best of Ohio series, the biggest days on the state's racing calendar. Silks Bar and Restaurant overlooks the track on live race days, and there are six bars and restaurants in total. The floor is open 24 hours; the racing is not, so check the calendar if the track is the point. Parking is free.
Northfield Park Racino: the busiest floor
If you knew it as MGM Northfield Park, this is the same property. MGM sold the gaming business, entertainment operations and racetrack interests to Clairvest in a transaction valued at around $546 million, operated under a lease with VICI Properties, and the MGM name came off. Nothing on the floor changed. The gaming area covers roughly 200,000 square feet with more than 2,000 VLTs, the busiest racino in Ohio, and the half-mile harness track runs more than 200 race dates a year. It sits between Cleveland and Akron and draws from both. Parking is free and the floor is open 24 hours.
Which one
For table games or poker, there is no decision to make: JACK Cleveland is the only option in north-east Ohio, and its 24-hour poker room is better than anything in Columbus for a late session. For a machines-and-racing evening with free parking, Northfield Park is the best choice on volume and rating, and Thistledown wins on race days that matter. In our view the mistake to avoid is treating the three as equivalent. Further east, Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley near Youngstown is another VLT-only racino, with thoroughbred racing from October through April.
Playing from home instead
Ohio has no state-regulated online casinos. Sweepstakes casinos operate on a no-purchase-necessary promotional model and are what most Ohio players use online. Our best sweepstakes casinos in Ohio guide ranks them from reviewer tests, and Ohio sweeps payout times covers how long redemptions take.
Frequently asked questions
How many casinos are in Cleveland?
One full casino, JACK Cleveland, plus two racinos, JACK Thistledown and Northfield Park, within about 25 minutes of downtown.
Which Cleveland casino has table games?
Only JACK Cleveland Casino. Ohio racinos may offer video lottery terminals only.
Is Northfield Park still MGM?
No. MGM sold the property to Clairvest and the branding changed. The floor, the racing and the hours are unchanged.
How old do you have to be to gamble in Cleveland?
21, at every Ohio casino and racino.
Where is the poker in Cleveland?
JACK Cleveland Casino's 26-table room, open 24 hours a day.
