Columbus has two gaming floors and they sit on opposite sides of the city and opposite sides of Ohio's licensing line. Hollywood Casino Columbus on the west side is one of the state's four full casinos, with live tables, the largest poker room in Ohio and, since June 2026, a hotel. Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs on the south side is a racino with the largest video lottery floor in the state and no table games at all. Which one you want depends entirely on what you came to play.
The Ohio rule
Ohio's four commercial casinos, in Columbus, Cleveland, Toledo and Cincinnati, may offer slot machines, live table games and poker. Its seven racinos may offer only video lottery terminals, lottery-regulated machines that look and play like slots. That is why Scioto Downs, despite having more machines than several full casinos, has no blackjack, craps, roulette or poker. Players must be 21 at every Ohio casino and racino.
Side by side
| Hollywood Casino Columbus | Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs | |
| Type | Full casino | Racino, VLTs only |
| Where | West side, off I-270 | South side |
| Floor | About 160,000 sq ft, largest in Ohio | 117,000 sq ft |
| Machines | Nearly 2,000 slots | 2,200+ VLTs, largest VLT floor in Ohio |
| Tables | 60+ | None |
| Poker | 34 tables, 10am to 4am | None |
| Hotel | 203 rooms, opened 12 June 2026 | None |
| Racing | None | Harness, May to September; simulcast year-round |
| Hours | Floor 24 hours | 24 hours, 365 days |
| Google rating | 4.0, 15,000+ reviews | 4.0, 9,600+ reviews |
| Operator | Penn Entertainment | Caesars Entertainment |
Hollywood Casino Columbus
Hollywood opened in 2012 and has the largest gaming floor in Ohio at roughly 160,000 square feet, with nearly 2,000 slot machines and more than 60 table games. The pit spreads roulette, craps and blackjack alongside mini baccarat, Face-Up Pai Gow Poker and Crazy 4 Poker. The poker room is the largest in the state at 34 tables, open daily from 10am to 4am, and that six-hour overnight closure is its one real constraint.
The news this year is the hotel. A 203-room tower opened on 12 June 2026 with 183 standard rooms, 20 suites, The Hill Eatery & Lounge, conference space, a fitness centre and an outdoor terrace. For fourteen years this was a day-trip floor off the interstate; it is now somewhere you can stay. Penn Entertainment has said an expanded high-limit table room and a speakeasy bar are due in the third quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approval. Dining runs from Final Cut Steak & Seafood down through o.h., H Lounge, Epic Buffet, Zen Noodle and Take 2 Grill. Note that many directories still list the property under its older name without the hotel; it now markets itself as Hollywood Casino & Hotel Columbus.
Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs
Scioto Downs has run harness racing since 1959 and on 1 June 2012 became the first racino in Ohio. Caesars owns and operates it, which puts it inside a national rewards network. The floor is 117,000 square feet with more than 2,200 VLTs, the largest video lottery floor in the state. Live harness racing runs May through September, a summer meet that sits opposite the winter thoroughbred season at Mahoning Valley, and a simulcast room operates year-round. Since 2013 the property has hosted a live outdoor summer concert series. Dining is four rooms: the Dash Cafe, the Grove Buffet, Brew Brothers and The Clubhouse, which overlooks the track and is the seat to take on a race night. There is no hotel, and the floor is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Which one
For table games, poker or a bed, Hollywood is the only answer in Columbus, and its poker room is the best choice in Ohio for anyone who plays cards in daylight hours. For machines, Scioto Downs has more of them, a Caesars rewards card and a summer of racing and concerts that Hollywood cannot match. We rate them as two different evenings rather than two competitors. Players who want a 24-hour poker seat should know that JACK Cleveland Casino, about two hours north-east, is the state's only round-the-clock room.
Playing from home instead
Ohio has no state-regulated online casinos. Sweepstakes casinos operate on a no-purchase-necessary promotional model. Our best sweepstakes casinos in Ohio guide ranks them from reviewer tests, and Ohio sweeps payout times covers redemption speed.
Frequently asked questions
How many casinos are in Columbus, Ohio?
Two: Hollywood Casino Columbus, a full casino, and Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs, a racino.
Does Hollywood Casino Columbus have a hotel?
Yes. A 203-room tower opened on 12 June 2026.
Does Scioto Downs have table games?
No. As an Ohio racino it may offer video lottery terminals only.
What are the poker room hours at Hollywood Casino Columbus?
10am to 4am daily, with 34 tables.
How old do you have to be to gamble in Columbus?
21, at every Ohio casino and racino.
