On March 4 th the dazzling Horseshoe Casino opened amidst fireworks and flashing cameras in the northeastern part of downtown on 1000 Broadway St. The grandiose 100,000 Square foot building Includes 2000 slot machines, 85 table games, and a 31-table World Series of Poker room. Also Included in the casino are restaurants such as Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville and Jack Binion’s Steak, which offers a beautiful view of the Cincinnati skyline. The Horseshoe Casino Company has high hopes for the Casino. They project that the Cincinnati casino will draw an annual crowd of six million visitors. The optimism seemed well suited as thousands of eager people stood in line to see the long awaited project. Sharing the optimism is Elder’s own History and Economics teacher, Mr. Flaherty. “[The casino] will improve local businesses downtown, from hotels to restaurants. The flow of traffic should help local business” The influx of people to the downtown area is crucial for the local economy, and as Mr. Flaherty mentioned other businesses could see unprecedented growth. “The cost of building the casino is a negative, but I think that overall it is good for the city.” Another positive Coach Flaherty sees is, “The casino cleans up an area that was previously run down.” The added traffic to the area should also improve safety. Also, the casino is also an exciting destination to find employment. Surely a new business like this will need people to run its various services. So whether you like to gamble, enjoy a delicious dinner, or just want to have a fun night out with friends, the casino seems to be the new hotspot for local partygoers. The new destination has so much to offer and I think it is a needed asset to the Cincinnati area.