Penn Entertainment sets date for Hollywood Casino Aurora opening
The venue will feature a 226-room hotel, more than 1,200 gaming positions and a retail sportsbook.
US.- Penn Entertainment has announced that it expects to open the new land-based Hollywood Casino Aurora on June 24, pending customary regulatory approvals. The new venue will replace the company’s riverboat casino on the Fox River in Illinois.
The $360m venue is being developed across from Chicago Premium Outlets, located near Interstate 88 in Aurora. It will have a 226-room hotel, more than 1,200 gaming positions, a retail sportsbook, an outdoor entertainment area, a spa, bars and restaurants, a 12,000 square foot event centre and approximately 1,700 parking spaces.
Penn expects to employ approximately 700 team members, nearly doubling its existing headcount in Aurora. Chef and entrepreneur Giada De Laurentiis’s Sorella by Giada Italian-California fusion restaurant will have approximately 170 seats for indoor and outdoor dining, a bar and private dining options.
Jay Snowden, CEO and president of Penn Entertainment, said: “We are now months away from opening another premium entertainment destination in the greater Chicago region. We are thrilled to follow the successful rollout of Hollywood Casino Joliet last summer with another new land-based property, strengthening our overall retail portfolio in the Midwest and deepening our roots in the community.”
Rafael Verde, senior vice president of regional operations at Penn Entertainment, added: “These popular restaurateurs will provide our customers with amazing dining options at the new Hollywood Casino Aurora. Together with our hotel, event centre, spa and additional amenities, patrons will experience a vibrant atmosphere at this new area attraction.”
The company opened the Hollywood Casino Joliet in August 2025. The $185m land-based property replaced the riverboat casino that had operated on the shores of the Des Plaines River since 1992.
