Northfield Park Racino Celebrates Grand Opening Following $546 Million Sale

Gone is the gold lion standing guard in front of the racino’s main doors. The Northfield Park Racino now sports new branding after the $546 million sale of its operations from MGM Resorts to private equity funds managed by Clairvest Group Inc.

General manager Kevin Brady highlighted updates to the racino at a grand opening event on Friday. Two hundred new video lottery machines are on the game floor. Its branding has changed on every decal, sign and logo in the building. On the food side, Overtime Grill & Bar replaces the former Tap Sports Bar, and a new steak-forward menu is being offered at the upscale Valley’s Edge restaurant. In April, the racino also opened an in-person Caesars Sportsbook. 

Improvements are also ongoing at the racetrack next door to the racino, which opened in 1957 and celebrates its 70th birthday next summer. The newer racino building opened in 2013, first as the Hard Rock Rocksino, then MGM Northfield Park and now as Northfield Park Racino, through various sales and ownership changes.

“The racino would not be here if we did not have the racetrack next door,” Brady says. “We want people to have visitation at both the racetrack and the racino. We’re in the process of looking at upgrading a lot of items over at the racetrack, and the restaurant over there, upgrading some of the facilities. We're looking at a redesign of the bar over at the racetrack.”

The building’s entertainment venue will continue programming in partnership with Live Nation, hosting roughly 60 events per year, says Brady. Upcoming shows feature Lewis Black (Sept. 11), Gary Clark Jr. (Sept. 14) and The Doobie Brothers (Sept. 26).

“It really completes the experience for the customer that's walking through the door, and we're really looking forward to some of the some of the future acts,” Brady says. “Really, we're the only gaming operation, I believe in the state of Ohio that has a showroom like this. It’s really second to none.”

According to the American Gaming Association, Ohio’s commercial casinos and racinos earned a total revenue of $2.46 billion in 2025.

“One of our mantras that you see around our property is, ‘More, and fun,’” Brady says. “Our customers and employees have told us that Hard Rock was an incredibly fun operation or facility to work at. We heard it from our customers, and we're really trying to reach that pinnacle of what Hard Rock was all about, and honestly take it a step further.”

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