Hard Rock unveils plans for Rockford casino

Hard Rock International released the preliminary plans for a casino proposal in Rockford, Illinois.

US.- Hard Rock International unveiled this week its plans for a casino in Rockford, Illinois. The company’s CEO Jim Allen and Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen announced the preliminary plans for the proposal on Tuesday.

The company presented two renderings and a map of the proposed casino. According to the site map, the casino would be located in the general area of the former Clock Tower Resort. The venue would offer gambling options, music, entertainment, restaurants, retail and hotel rooms, Allen said.

The CEO added that Rockford is a strong location for a casino because of its history as the centre point of entertainment. He also said that it benefits from its proximity to a major highway, Interstate 90.

While it hasn’t been officially submitted through the Request For Proposals process, Hard Rock still has time to present its plans for a Rockford casino until August 16.

If approved, the casino would create approximately 1,000 construction jobs for local contractors and 1,600 permanent jobs when the facility is finished.

Hard Rock also focuses on Japan

Back in January, Jim Allen presented the building model and said it would have 1,500 rooms and 200k square feet of retail, a cultural exhibit, a music Hall of Fame featuring Japanese artists, a Yankees Baseball area and other entertainment features. Furthermore, the company announced it plans to work with NEC and use their facial recognition technology and with Four Seasons to develop its hotel.

The Japanese casino industry is in the making as the final regulation of how and where it will be developed is still being discussed. However, several companies are landing in the country and opening offices in the archipelago to position themselves ahead of the IR licensing process.