Hollywood Casino

Wow… what a nightmare. First we get there go to the usual eatery which now serves only breakfast. So we decide to go to restaurant 99… order our meal. We waited and waited. About ½ hour later. The waitress comes up and said uh… I forgot your order. They did pay for our small meal but after spending an hour waiting for it. It was a joke. I decided to use the restrooms which usually there is an attendant picking up in there etc. The every first stall I go in. Someone had urinated all over toilet and floor. I had already stepped in it. Lets say I wasn’t happy. Finally found a casino employee to tell so they could get it taken care of. I cleaned my shoes as much as possible. Okay, Time for gambling fun. We took our winnings from Horseshoe Southern Indiana. Thought what the heck. Lets try. So he goes and plays Roulette. The numbers were not registering correctly and only two tables open. The dealer,(Who I will refer to as Newman, from Seinfeld) was a real downer. I watched while he berated and humiliated a young oriental man. So anyway, my better half usually does okay. Well, not at Hollywood… Every dealer we had, had no personality. From what I heard they are losing dealers to Horseshoe… HMMM wonder why. No one in that casino was smiling… not one patron. Okay moving on. I play slots… Quick hits. I do well pretty much always. Well, let me tell you. I was on right at 20 different Quick hits. Not one single one paid a single dime when I walked away. In fact one called Quick Hits platinum was hanging up. I was already shocked at the tight slots so why bother calling for help. Its not like there were employees all around wanting to assist. So after discovering the slots being tight and non-​paying. I decided to go find my better half. I got turned around and asked a casino employee where the roulette tables were. Yep he directed me to the freakin automated machine. Wow, If I could give less than one star I would. What a nightmare. My suggestion is go to Horseshoe Southern Indiana and you will see how a casino should be run. Never again will they see our faces or that of family and friends

Awful service! I paid to eat and requested to be seated where it was more quiet, but the waitress gave me an attitude about it. She was rude and she slam the silverware down at the new table. I demanded to talk to the manager and they were trying to buy me by letting me eat for free that day but I don’t need free stuffs. And they’re judge mental toward Asian people, and make us wait for table while they put the other Americans who came after us to a table that was available. I will never come back here.

Well pros and cons here. Lobby and casino were decorated beautifully however the rooms were boring. And the toilet seat in our room was loose and kept sliding as you sat down. Bed was comfy and nice and good size tv in room. No coffee maker or microwave. Two sets of towels nice and big but in similar rooms I have seen three or four as normal. If it was a family that might be an issue. No pool or workout room available. No pets in room but they state there is a kennel available. Staff seems very friendly! The steak house was nice and attentive, but expensive!
And maybe it was my bad luck but we easily heard conversations in the hallway.
We had a offer of two free nights so the room deal was great for us. Includes a token gambling credit and valet parking. No meal discounts.

Booked this hotel because it looked nice and I saw that the Hotel was separate from the Casino area, which was important because I was traveling with my 9 year old. After checking in, we found that the hallways smelled of smoke despite many signs indicating smoking was not permitted in the hotel. Then we entered the room and it stunk of chemical air freshener. I was going to let this pass because it was late and we were starving, only to be told that you must be 21 to eat in the hotel’s restaurants. That was the end of our visit. We immediately grabbed our bags and checked out. I certainly understand that kids are not allowed in or around the Casino, but to ban them from the restaurants is ridiculous. I will give the ladies at the front desk an A+ rating for their sweet demeanor.

We visited recently. I’m wavering somewhere between A-​OK and Yay! I’m a fan!
Hotel — We were sent a couple of free nights, so we definitely took advantage of that. We checked in at 3:00 PM on a Tuesday afternoon. We had asked for (and were given) a non-​smoking room near the elevator. The only problem was that the closet door was stuck after I had put some of our clothes in there. I don’t know what trick my husband used to get the door open finally so I could retrieve our stuff, but it was quite a struggle. We called down to the front desk and they promptly switched us to another room. Yeaaaaa — Whitney! The front desk staff is friendly and professional. I can’t say enough about them. The only name I got was Whitney, but they all were great. They have free coffee/​tea, etc. in the lobby all day and night. It is good coffee and we did enjoy it.
Our room was really, really clean. It was very nice. It was also situated next to the railroad track. (Remember — the room was free.) The 3:00 AM freight train lumbering through Lawrenceburg and announcing it’s presence at every crossing was a bit disconcerting. However, the bed was so comfortable that I was back asleep in no time. The guest book in the room is so outdated that it still refers to the Chart Room Restaurant and Passport Buffet. (They are from the days when it was the Argosy.) We had a message on our phone, but were unable to follow the instructions in the book to retrieve it. We called the operator and she had no clue. They sent up one of their staff and he couldn’t figure it out. We were finally able to get our message on checkout. The front desk clerk said she thought that all the old books were replaced. I’m not sure that’s the case, but I’ll buy it.
Our biggest problem with the hotel — we are a bit older and have a harder time getting around. The walkway to the hotel is uphill and very long. On hot days the greenhouse is stifling. I realize that they want you to be as far away from the casino as possible so you will stay and spend money. But, I’d rather stay in my room if I have to work that hard to get to the casino. There doesn’t appear to be a shuttle service. We finally drove our car over for valet service. Once you get to the casino, there still is a long walk into the play area.
Casino — we loved a lot of the slot machines in the casino. Some are a little bit more generous than others. We pretty much broke even on the machines. Everyone is friendly and professional. Their staff is constantly cleaning. There is smoking in the upper casino and non-​smoking down below. I’m a former smoker, but I wasn’t bothered by the smoke at all. I’m pretty sure that their filtration system is top notch, especially on week days.
Restaurants — We had our first dinner at Hops House 99. It is pub food and was really good. We enjoyed it. Since our last visit the buffet is closed for breakfast. We went into town, but had breakfast the second day at the Celebrity Grill. I think we’ll go to Waffle House in town the next time. It was barely okay — I had two pancakes and two slices of bacon; My husband ordered one of their combinations — he got 1 egg not cooked the way he asked, one sausage, a hash brown patty and two slices of toast. We had lunch and dinner at the Epic Buffet. Lunch was pretty good; dinner was meh at best. They seem to have eliminated the hostess position. You pick up your silverware and napkin and seat yourself.
The Epic Buffet is closed on Monday and Tuesday and so is Final Cut Steakhouse. Hops House 99 is open all week for lunch through dinner. Hollywood and Grind is open from 8:00 AM — 6:00 PM during the week — breakfast there is limited to three breakfast sandwiches and some pastries. Celebrity Grill is open most of the time — they close from 4 AM to 7 AM. Their food has gone downhill over the past several years and I haven’t really enjoyed much of anything there. They used to have good hamburgers — the operative word is used to.
If we hadn’t been comped for a good bit of the food, we would have spent time in Lawrenceburg at Whiskey’s or one of the other local restaurants. It just wasn’t that good overall and very pricey.
We had a good time. Our room was really clean and nice. We had fun in the casino. But given the shift in restaurant hours, etc. it seems that the Ohio casinos are taking a toll on them.

Great Hotel we took advantage of the free night stay. Very friendly staff at the hotel. The room is very clean and comfortable and the final cut steak house is AWESOME! We didnt win at the tables but we are not leaving feeling like losers! Just a Great chance to get away from home without going very far. Cant wait to come back

We recently stayed here as part of a wedding group. I am not a gambler, so keep that in mind as you read.
Pros:
— The staff. Everyone we met was top shelf. They were helpful to the point of going above and beyond.
— The décor. The hotel and atrium are beautiful. They have the sense of grandeur that you would expect from a casino. Pay attention to the ceiling of the atrium; it is a stained glass map of the earth which is fantastic.
— The gift shop. The prices in the gift shop are ridiculously low on many things. I managed to forget my tie and my son’s tie, and I was able to replace them with ties from the gift shop. They were $ 50.00 ties which we bought for $ 10.00 each. We even picked up an extra. There were money clips, cuff links, watches, women’s jewelry and many other things which were all very reasonably priced.
Cons:
— The room. For all of the splendor in the hotel lobby and the casino atrium, there is very little flair in the rooms. This is particularly true in light of the cost, which brings me to my next point…
— Value. Overall, everything was good, but expensive. The place was neat, clean, and everything was in good repair. We only ate in the buffet restaurant, and the food was good. At $ 20.00 a person for a breakfast buffet, it struck me as a little pricey. Maybe that’s my Midwestern expectations. In fairness, my understanding is that those who are gambling get a discount, but that’s not us.
In summary, we would have done better staying at a hotel chain. We have had suites for far less money in the northeast. I am glad we had the experience, but I wouldn’t stay there again unless I was going to include gambling.

Nice casino and free parking is awesome. Food offerings were very generic and limited late night. Did not like that people were smoking everywhere though. Looked like a very safe enviroment when compared to casinos in other locations.

It was just a nice experience and would do it again whenever I can. Came to Ohio recently from Virginia and a friend suggested this place to me and we really had a good time there I’d recommend it to everyone

Hollywood Casino is only four stories tall, but it covers a lot of ground. I guess sprawling would be a pretty accurate description.
It’s a decent hotel, but the rooms were *way* over-​priced at $ 229.00 for a Saturday night. $ 150 a night would be closer to what they should charge per night and that is probably still on the high side.
I didn’t enter the casino, but I saw several parts of the hotel. Smoking is allowed in Hops House 99 (bar/​restaurant) and I didn’t feel like getting a dose of second hand smoke, so I passed on having a drink here. Instead we opted for dinner at Final Cut, which is the high end steakhouse on the property. I was pleasantly surprised by the food and the service, both were excellent.

Here is the good and bad on the hotel/​casino and Final Cut Steakhouse (all located at Hollywood)
The hotel is terrible. It looks nice… but here are the issues we had: Check-​in is at 4pm… at 5pm the rooms weren’t ready, they kept saying, «wait until 6pm… maybe after 7pm…» awful. Plus, the front desk staff isn’t very friendly or customer service orientated. They finally said they only had 1 housekeeper per floor and were seriously understaffed. If you try to call the hotel or steakhouse, prepare to wait on hold for quite a long time. Once we finally got into our rooms they were very nice — one bed had some hair in it, but the rooms itself are in good condition and *mostly* clean.
The casino is wonderful, the staff is really great — I can’t say enough nice things about the dealers and bartenders.
The Boogie Nights Club is also great and has a wonderful staff and really attentive servers.
Final Cut Steakhouse — the servers are very nice and friendly. The food was very good… but they brought the steaks out waaaaay before the sides so our steaks were gone when the sides finally arrived. That wasn’t so good… not sure what happened there. And, my baked potato was cold… weird.
The Casino buffet is awesome! Hit that up! The servers are great– there is sooooo much food to choose from, even at 9am you can get everything from made-​to-​order omlettes, to deserts, ham, mac & cheese, a full salad bar, 5 different kinds of potatoes… you name it, they have it and it’s unlimited!!! I would do the casino buffet next time over the steakhouse if I had to choose one.
All in all, stay at a Hampton Inn, gamble at the Casino and indulge in the buffet!

I’m no pro-​gamber, or even that experienced at judging casinos, for I have only been to ones in Atlantic City and here, but I still feel like I can evaluate it as a consumer-​serving business. A couple of fellas and myself decided on a whim to visit the ol’ house of gambling whilst on the road, and Hollywood is much closer than Rising Star, so at 5 in the afternoon on a Wednesday, we were on our way (don’t judge us — it was mere spontaneity at its finest)
Down the driveway off the road, the outside is fairly attractive, and the parking garage is huge. We quickly found a spot, hopped on the elevator, and we were in. The ID checkpoint staff was quick and friendly, and we were at a blackjack table before we knew it. That’s pretty much my only casino game that required knowlege of the rules, so that’s where I stayed. There were a few 10 dollar tables, so I found a seat at one. The dealer was friendly and there was a cocktail waitress selling drinks (yes, unfortunately selling — this isn’t vegas/​AC where it’s complimentary if you’re playing), but I grabbed a beer at the bar. My buddy went to the slots, but I don’t do them. They’e so silly in so many ways in my mind and I just can’t justify them.
It’s smoking, but for the most part, the ventillation systems seemed to suck it up pretty well so it wasn’t like a dead-​aired saloon with a constant fog of smoke. From my experience, I have no reason to give it any more or less than 4 stars. If Horseshoe turns out to be no good and the gambling itch strikes again (unlikely, but possible), I’ll be back.

The BF hails from Cincinnati, so he often makes the 20 – 30 minute drive down to Lawrenceburg to go to Hollywood Casino. I have since been here a few times. There is plenty of parking in the deck. You have to go through «security» to get into the casino. Since I am from Georgia, my ID always gets looked at by at least two people. Whatevs. I don’t really care because the security people are pretty pleasant.
Anyway, onto the casino. Our game of choice is blackjack. They have a good mix of $ 10, $ 15 and $ 25 tables. Of course, the $ 10 tables are harder to come by. This past weekend we went twice, on a Friday night and Sunday night. On Sunday night, there were far more $ 10 tables. Probably because it was less packed? Smart.
The dealers have always been really nice. As a beginner, I have made my fair share of etiquette faux pas, but they have been very understanding (i.e. taking out my phone at the table, placing bets too late).
They also have a large selection of slot machines that have stolen a good bit of my money –_​_​–
I have been to the buffet that they have downstairs, but can’t comment much on it. What can I say… it’s a buffet! They have crab legs and the Southern food (collard greens, pulled pork, mac and cheese) is decent. The dessert bar is insane.
While they do not allow smoking at the tables, you can smoke while inside the casino, so I do hate that I always leave reeking of an ashtray.

Given that my previous visits to casinos were in Atlantic City, New Jersey, I wasn’t sure what to expect from conservative Indiana. I still remember the little, old ladies who would hit you with their purses, if you sat down at a nickel slot machine, or the casino buses and the $ 10 worth of coupons for meals and shows. I remembered Donald Trump’s famous troubles getting all of his casinos going.
Lawrenceburg is pretty much the middle of nowhere, except that there is this rather large parking garage with a casino attached to it. Travelling from Hamilton, I-​275/​I-​74 has very little near it. Even taking the exit, there was very little but high-​priced gasoline and a Burger King.
We drove to the Pavilion parking garage, entered the elevator, and were taken to the casino level, and were greeted by a tacky, dirty-​looking carpet. We went through a security checkpoint, more likely to check for gambling experts who would break the bank rather than to check for people who might shoot up the place.
There must have been hundreds of slot machines, but of course, they didn’t look like slot machines to me. Way back when, they were introducing electronic devices as slot machines. They emulated the mechanical devices with 3 or 4 «cylinders» with symbols on them. You pulled a lever to start the «motion». They had a few of those but most of them had a selection of lines. You pay a penny a line and machines had choices of 1, 5, 10, 20, 25, 30, or 40 lines and you could double or triple your bet on the lines. It’s not simple, but that keeps you guessing, and casino owners love to keep customers guessing.
The first thing I asked was «where are the cash centers?» to which I was told, «there aren’t any» and you don’t need coins for the machines because they take bills, vouchers, or frequent player cards. Yes, you can put a $ 50 bill in a slot machine. Scary!
I used a $ 20, as that was my limit to lose. Since the machines give you options, you can lose very quickly or very, very slowly. Sometimes, you win, and I was up by $ 1.06 at one point (on a Japanese-​themed machine – ha!). I ended up losing it all, and that was okay, because I expected that to happen. Pity the person who has no expectations, and can set no limits. Thankfully, the machines don’t directly take credit or debit cards. There are other machines for that.
If you don’t like the machine, you can press the «Collect» button and it will print a voucher that can be inserted into another machine.
After my loss, I walked around the casino and found both roulette and card games. The dice games were not occupied for some reason. I’m guessing that the card games were either Blackjack or Poker, as I don’t think the crowd would have known Baccarat.
What’s really strange about this experience is being out at midnight, seeing people in motorized scooters/​wheelchairs gambling in Indiana.
I have zero desire to return. My reason to be at the casinos in Atlantic City had more to do with the shore and the boardwalk than the casinos themselves. Being able to get New Jersey frozen custard after eating an A.C. sub near the ocean has real appeal. I suppose they could have put the casino nearer the Ohio River, so you could sit outside and enjoy yourself, it would be more appealing. As it is, it’s a heartless gambling facility, nothing more.

its a casino… whats not to love!
I think i enjoy Hollywood casino’s the most because they are so modern, and entertaining dealers. if i can’t be out in Vegas i have to find a Hollywood Casino to go to. I absolutely love the poker room here, and there are a lot of good dealers there. they are big enough where you are never really waiting on a table to get in on. staff here is always pretty friendly all around and i will be visiting this place whenever i get the chance

The entire Channel 70 Video Productions road crew (7 in total) spent four 12+ days on a project and they all did great. Staying overnight at the Hollywood and a small gambling stake for each was their reward. Parking was a chore for our two small trucks and Suburban and it was a hike to register, but when traveling with trucks, it’s to be expected.
The desk staff was nice and the rooms, ok. But, we don’t visit casinos for their rooms. We all signed up for bonus cards with a terrifically patient lady and then hit the floor. You rack up goodies rather quickly using these bonus/​loyalty cards. Our editor complained of smoke right away and I have to agree. But, again this was a casino, not church. Cameraman 1 and I decided on blackjack. So-​so rules, friendly dealer, quick drink service, and a run of bad luck with the cards. The girls were on the slots and hit rather well because our intern said she’d buy dinner with her winnings. Awesome.
We all met at the Final Cut Steakhouse. Good food, still too much smoke, really good service, and nicely laid out. Not cheap, but since the house was buying, so what? There was live entertainment, but we all skipped to again try out luck at the tables and slots.
Most of the staff was friendly and welcoming, but some definitely weren’t.
Overall, I recommend the Hollywood Casino.

This review is for the casino only. I have been a few times gambling with my grandpa and we really enjoy it.
Hollywood really spent a lot of money upgrading the site from Argosy. Anytime I go to a casino I seek out the penny slots first and then the nickel slots. Hollywood has some penny slots, but they also have a lot more in terms of games, slots etc.
This casino is the busiest casino for reason, it’s closest to Cincinnati and they attract all kinds of clientele.

Lady luck, she is unkind to me.
So my friends and I rolled out in force (in a limo) for a bachelor party to the Hollywood and good times were had by all.
Made reservations at the Final Cut steakhouse at the last minute and it was no problem. They even got us a sectioned-​off part of the restaurant to house everyone. It felt like we were in a boardroom.
Our waitress was amazing. She had the best recommendations, and when the incredible appetizer she recommended was not up to her standards, she got us even more of it to make up for it. (Highly recommend you get the thick-​cut bacon btw.)
Then came the entrees. OMG so much steak. I got a 20 oz porterhouse and I felt like I ate an entire cow. This steak was grilled to perfection. Definitely in my top 2 steaks ever. Allegedly they even use the same steaks as Jeff Ruby does at his restaurants.
Then it gets better. We ordered cigars, (it was a bachelor party after all,) and we got our own cigar lady! She came out and cut the cigars, lit them for us and chatted for a bit.
Truly it was a great experience, they even comp’d the Boogie Nights club for us if we wanted.
The only downside was the casino. The dealers were knowledgeable and fun to talk with, but the only low-​stakes games we found were the slot machines. Everything had at least a $ 15 minimum. We might have been on the wrong floor though.
Overall I highly recommend the Hollywood if you want a great night out.

Like most people, when I think Indiana, I think multi-​million dollar casinos and resorts. Of course, I’m kidding. No one thinks that. Which is why Hollywood Casino is such a nice surprise. It’s big, it’s badass, and it makes the surrounding casinos look like bingo halls.
Hollywood Casino is like Disneyworld for adults (with gambling problems). They get the job done on all levels. The staff is friendly, attentive, and always cleaning. The slots are top-​notch and constantly being updated. The poker room is baller and WPT approved. The food selection is varied and delectable. Their buffet is money, especially if you like prime rib and crepes (not together of course). They have a night club on premise and seemingly always have some sort of live act playing in the main casino area. Parking is easy with two garages and a valet. All around, this place is legit.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you this place sucks because I gambled and lost. That would be silly and foolish (come on people, this is a casino). And I’m not going to trash the place because they allow smoking. I’m pretty sure gambling and smoking go together like crack and addicts. And I’m not going to complain that my beer cost $ 3 a pint which is a whole $ 2 more than my local pub charges on $ 1 Keystone night.
Honestly, how anyone can complain about this massive, updated, lavish casino on the banks of the Ohio River in Wrong Turn, Indiana is beyond me. I only give them four stars and not five because they did away with $ 5 table games. The minimum is $ 10 and if you’re there on a weekend expect to pay $ 15 or $ 20. Which pretty much solidifies my place on the penny slots next to middle-​age women smoking cigarettes and old women with oxygen tanks.

C’mon now, people. It’s a casino boat in Indiana — a state that probably doesn’t appear on the «must see» list of even the most addicted gambler out there. You can’t expect Vegas, Atlantic City, or Indian reservation quality here.
I’ve been to casinos in all three aforementioned locations, as well as on cruise ships and in the Caribbean. I didn’t expect much from Hollywood, and it pretty much lived up to that. It’s a pretty decent-​sized casino with all the machines, slots, tables, and games one could need. Expect it to be smoky, and expect to see the most interesting array of people. Patrons include the elderly on a day-​trip from their retirement home, the high-​rollers with obedient eye-​candy, college frat boy d-​bags excited to recreate their favorite scenes from The Hangover, and the rural folks wearing overalls, plaid, and socks with birkenstock sandals. (I kid you not.)
The layout of the casino annoys me more than the patrons and tacky décor. It is so hard to walk around, aside from the atrium which is the largest and most open area there. The tables are very close together and I wouldn’t be surprised if the aisles between most of the slot machines were a fire hazard.
I’m not much of a gambler, so I know I won’t be back. If I want to spend 2 hours inhaling an assortment of second-​hand smoke, I’ll go to Mainstrasse and drink a beer rather than listen to middle-​aged card-​dealers pretending to be rock stars, lip synching to «Love Shack».