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Optimism reigned as thousands of people poured through the large, golden doors of the brand-new Hollywood Casino Columbus yesterday and into the bright lights and action of Las Vegas-style gambling.

It was etched upon the faces of the gamblers, all praying for a jackpot.

“Bring it on,” said an excited Tammy White, who came from West Liberty to play the slots.

That sense of hope was shared by the casino’s 2,000 new employees, all eager for long careers at the gambling palace, as well as officials from Penn National Gaming, the owner of the casino, who are betting on a return on their $400 million investment.

“I’m thrilled to be part of history and the fact that, from all indications, I have a job I look forward to coming to,” said rookie craps dealer Matt Ewing.

And then there is the promise of what the casino will bring to the long-suffering, often-neglected West Side.

“Over time, not overnight, we will see a change,” said Mayor Michael B. Coleman of the casino’s impact on the area. “A plan is in place, and we will see more economic vitality off-site, in the area around the casino.”

Coleman was part of a gala opening ceremony yesterday that also featured ex-boxing champion James “Buster” Douglas, two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, actress Ann-Margaret and several state, county and city officials.

The overriding theme of the ceremony was hope and optimism for what the casino will bring to the surrounding area, mixed in with a little Hollywood glitz, glamour and showgirls.

“On this site was an abandoned factory ... polluted, it had no hope,” Coleman said of the former Delphi Corp. plant. “And now it has been transformed ... into a jewel.”

Hollywood Casino general manager Ameet Patel called the opening “the rebirth of the West Side."

It was also the launch of the state’s third, and largest, casino. Hollywood Casino Columbus has about 3,000 slots, 78 table games,

30 poker tables, four restaurants, a 10,000-square-foot events center and 4,600 parking spaces.

About 20,000 people had visited the casino by 9 p.m., according to casino estimates.

Horseshoe Casino Cleveland opened May 14, Hollywood Casino Toledo on May 29 and the slots-only Scioto Downs “racino” on June 1.

Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati is scheduled to open in the spring; all four casinos are overseen by the Ohio Casino Control Commission. The commission receives 33 percent of the casino’s revenue, which is the money patrons leave in the slots machines and on the gaming tables, and distributes it to Ohio’s counties and cities, schools and other entities.

“I’m not aware of any other gaming commission that has ever opened three casinos in less than five months,” said Matthew Schuler, executive director of the commission.

The commission and casino held a controlled demonstration on Wednesday, in which 16,000 invited guests played the slots and table games.

“That was the really important day,” said commission chairwoman Jo Ann Davidson. “It was our chance to look at what was happening and how they were operating and what needed to be adjusted.”& amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; amp; lt; /p>

The adjustments were minor, she said, mostly involving the placement and focal points of the casino’s 1,100 security cameras.

About 7 p.m. Sunday, Schuler sent Patel an email granting Hollywood Casino final authorization to open the casino the following day.

“I was literally like a kid in a candy store when I got it,” Patel said.

The total revenue from the controlled demonstration was $606,000, which was twice as much as Patel expected.

The casino donated its 67 percent share of this revenue, plus some additional money, to five local nonprofit groups. The Greater Hilltop Area Shalom Zone, Salvation Army of Central Ohio, Hilltop YMCA and Buckeye Ranch each received $62,000 during yesterday’s opening ceremony.

The Mid-Ohio Foodbank received $165,000.

“Ameet really gets it, and the whole company takes social responsibility so seriously,” said Matt Habash, president and CEO of the food bank.

The check wasn’t a one-and-done donation, he added.

“(Patel) visited us and noticed we had high ceilings, like they have at the casino, and offered to loan us their scissor lifts so we could reach them to clean them,” said Habash, adding that Patel also has pledged that casino employees will become involved with the food bank and that executives will serve on its board.

“And, they’ll donate the excess food from their restaurants to us,” Habash said.

About 20 percent of the casino’s 2,000 employees live on the West Side, Patel said. About 80 percent of the casino’s job are full time, and the remainder are permanent part-time jobs.

“And, as we have vacancies, our part-time employees are first in line for the full-time positions,” Patel said.

The construction of the casino also supported about 3,500 construction jobs.

It is this job creation that has Habash optimistic about the casino’s impact on the surrounding community.

“The best social-service program is a job with benefits,” he said.

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@stevewartenberg