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Cleveland casino to mark Ohio gambling debut Associated Press Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 01:15 p.m., Saturday, May 12, 2012 Ohio opened its doors to casino gambling when voters approved four casinos in 2009, the fifth time in 20 years a gambling expansion was proposed in the state. The 53 percent winning margin came with backers promising new jobs, extra tax revenues for struggling cities and school districts, but opponents, led by church groups, worried about more troubled gamblers and accompanying social ills. The Cleveland casino has about 2,100 slot machines, 63 table games a 30-table World Series of Poker room and a VIP lounge for high-end gamblers who need a break without mixing with the Rust Belt crowd. Without Vegas-style floor shows and lacking its own hotel, the non-gambling offerings may seem modest, but that's the point: the casino has aggressively marketed ties to restaurants and hotels and thinks encouraging visitors to sample other attractions will mean they all win. If done right, that will provide a compelling experience for visitors, according to Marcus Glover, senior vice president and general manager of the casino. The casino security staff, casino regulators, 20 additional police officers, moonlighting officers and seven new traffic controllers, as well as hundreds of surveillance cameras inside and out, add law-enforcement eyes around the casino and Public Square, heart of the city and a major bus and rail transportation hub. Alicia Dyer, 39, of Lakewood, who works in information technology in an office tower adjacent to the casino, said she's "indifferent" to Horseshoe's arrival and is skeptical about whether it will provide a major boost in jobs. Rock Gaming, led by Dan Gilbert, who owns basketball's Cleveland Cavaliers, developed the casino with Caesars, which is managing day-to-day operations and whose brands include Harrah's, Flamingo and Bally's.