Hollywood Casino holds open house on Aurora relocation project
Hollywood Casino Resort held a two-hour meeting for Aurora residents.
US.- Hollywood Casino Resort has held a two-hour open house for Aurora residents, allowing them to find out more about its project planned near Interstate 88 in Illinois. City officials and developers answered questions about the relocation of the casino.
Penn Entertainment’s plan for Aurora is to construct a modern casino and hotel off I-88, adjacent to the Simon Premium Outlet Mall. The development will include the transfer of certain parcels of land from the city. Up to $50m of the project will be funded by the city through new bond issuance, subject to final approval by the Aurora City Council.
The project will feature 900 slots, 50 live table games, 200 hotel rooms, a full-service spa, restaurant and bar options, and an event center. Some of the questions were related to updates on the project, potential traffic, and what would happen to the former property.
Jeff Morris, VP of public affairs with Penn Entertainment, said: “Out of the gate, it’s really exciting that folks are interested in the new development. Folks are interested in the things they are always interested in – what it’s going to include, traffic, what improvements are coming to the area.”
Clayton Muhammad, chief communications and equity officer for the city of Aurora, added: “This is the first of a series of open houses where community members can ask questions. People want to know how many jobs it might provide and see updated renderings as we go through the process.”
The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) has approved Penn Entertainment’s proposal to relocate its two riverboat casinos. The other casino, the Hollywood Casino Joliet, will be moved to land-based locations.
Illinois casinos see highest visitor numbers since 2018
Illinois’ 12 casinos reported combined adjusted gross revenues (AGR) of $128.1m in April, up 2.2 per cent compared to March. The figure reported by the Illinois Gaming Board represents an increase of 4.5 per cent over the $122.5m reported in April 2022.
Rivers Casino recorded an AGR of $45.3m, Grand Victoria Casino $13.6m and Harrah’s Joliet Casino & Hotel registered $12.2. Casinos generated $22.6m in taxes.
