17,000 visit Hollywood Casino on Opening Night - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

17,000 visit Hollywood Casino on Opening Night

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"We saw a little over 17,000 people come through the doors yesterday," says Jason Birney, Vice President of Marketing for Toledo's Hollywood Casino.

Casino leaders say opening night exceeded their wildest expectations.  One issue that popped up, though, is the garage kept reaching capacity.

"We saw high volumes coming into the property and it's single lane in, so you're going to see traffic there. We tried to communicate that early on.  With these casino openings, all new employees inside, you're going to have lines," says Birney.

The Final Cut Steakhouse served more than 150 dinners.  Plus the Scene Lounge, which was built to be a posh sports bar, was packed.

"There was baseball on, there was the NBA playoffs and with these HD televisions it was a scene," says Birney.

During Tuesday's debut there were several big winners on the gaming tables and slot machines.  A few people hit $5,000 jack pots.

But not Don Pletzke from Bay City, Michigan.

"If they start paying a little bit of money, we'll be back," says Pletzke.

Pletzke is an avid gambler who is retired from General Motors.

He says he prefers Toledo's Hollywood Casino to Detroit's casinos.

"Oh, it's like heaven being in here.  No smoking.  That's the big thing, no smoking," says Pletzke.

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