PENN Entertainment, Inc. organized Hollywood Casino Aurora’s groundbreaking event on November 29. Some of the stakeholders the gaming operator invited were labor organizations, Mayor of Aurora, the City Council, the Illinois General Assembly and members of the Illinois Gaming Board.
It is planning to replace the riverboat casino with the brick-and-mortar casino once it completes it. The gaming property will be near Farnsworth Avenue, the Chicago Premium Outlets and I-88.
PENN Entertainment has allocated $360 million for the gaming venue which it hopes to complete in late 2025. However, it will continue operating downtown Aurora’s Hollywood Casino riverboat to keep its loyal clients engaged.
Greg Moore, Hollywood Casino Aurora’s General Manager and Vice President stated in a press release that they were eager to celebrate their huge achievement together with numerous stakeholders and their team members. He added that each of them has played a role in realizing their dream and they couldn’t wait to sign up local and visiting players from Chicagoland to their new gaming site.
The Casino Is Now a Reality
The new casino project is near the Chicago Premium Outlets center and PENN Entertainment predicts it will attract more than eight million players each year. It stated in a previous announcement that the property will include 50 table games and more than 900 slot machines. It will have extra amenities such as:
- A full-service spa
- 1,200 gaming vacancies
- 220 guest rooms
- A retail bookie
- High-end restaurants and bars
- An outdoor entertainment space
- 1,700 parking lots
- 12,000 square foot of event space
PENN added that the new gaming project will offer 700 permanent jobs and 700 construction jobs, which are about twice Aurora’s current workforce. Jay Snowden, the company’s President and CEO stated that they are delighted to begin constructing Hollywood Casino Aurora soon.
The executive said that they have had a long and mutually beneficial partnership with Aurora which has given then a chance to move its gaming venue to a better location that will increase their revenue and help them offer the community more economic benefits. Snowden stated that the casino is part of the $500 million development plan they created which includes casinos in Henderson-Nevada, Columbus-Ohio and Joliet-Illinois. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. contributed $575 million out of the $850 million that PENN intended to spend on the gaming projects.
Did Aurora City’s Commissioners Rushed to Approve the Casino?
The Aurora Planning and Zoning Commission engaged the public in a meeting in June during which it approved PENN Entertainment’s rezoning application. Commissioner Nancy Martinez said that the casino’s relocation to inland would increase traffic in thee Molitor and Church roads junction.
The Daily Herald reports that Hollywood Casino Aurora’s clients will enter its premises from Farnsworth while its staff will use Church Road. Commissioner Yvonne Owusu-Safo inquired whether the Illinois Tollway and Aurora City had reviewed the property’s effect on the I-88’s exit and entrance ramps.
