In October last year, Penn Entertainment announced its plan to move its riverboat casinos in Illinois to land. Almost eight months after this announcement, the Illinois Gaming Board has given the green light to Penn Entertainment. This allowed the gaming operator to execute its $500 million plan to make its casinos more accessible.
According to Penn Entertainment, it is necessary for its casinos to move to land for it to remain competitive in the Chicago market. With this move, the gaming operator will also create hundreds of permanent jobs.
The Illinois Gaming Board also agrees that moving Penn Entertainment gaming sites to land is crucial. According to the administrator of the board, Marcus Fruchter, approving the gaming operator’s request is a crucial step toward the best direction.
Penn Entertainment has two riverboat casinos, namely Hollywood Aurora and Hollywood Joliet. The gaming board will supervise the move to ensure that new casino sites are built, opened, and run ethically and efficiently.
Traffic Concerns
The Aurora Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing a week ago. During this event, the city commissioners got an opportunity to air their concerns about traffic.
One of these commissioners was Nancy Martinez, who expressed her worry about the intersection becoming busy. Another commissioner, Yvonne Owusu-Safo, inquired about the city working with the Illinois Tollway about the casinos moving to I-88.
The Daily Herald has published a post showing that streets would be improved to include right-turn lanes. The city engineer who was featured on the post also said that the intersection would probably get a traffic light.
Having the casinos on I-88 could have serious traffic effects. Fortunately, there are plans that will encourage the Illinois Tollway to open the exit on the westbound tollway. This lane was closed following the closure of the coin-collecting toll machine.
Illinois Gambling Expansion
The President and CEO of Penn Entertainment, Jay Snowden, expressed his expectation about the new casino. He announced that the Aurora land-based casino would be modern and feature a top-class casino and hotel off I-88. Jay hoped this would allow the casino to serve millions of clients that visit Simon Premium Outlet Mall.
Penn Entertainment plans to spend $360 million on the Aurora casino. It will have 50 table games and 900 slot machines, among other amenities. Penn’s riverboat casino move is a part of Illinois’ plan to expand casino gaming.
A year ago, the Illinois Gaming Board approved the construction of the Golden Nugget Danville. The casino is now complete. It was opened on May 27, 2023.
The 41,500 square feet casino floor holds 14 table games, 500 slot machines, and a sportsbook. The facility also has two restaurants and a sports bar.
Bally’s has also proposed to build a temporary casino and a permanent casino. The temporary casino is at Medinah Temple. This casino will operate before Bally’s can build the permanent casino at the Chicago Tribune Freedom Center publishing center.
There are several other casinos coming up. This includes The Wind Creek Chicago Southland and others in Waukegan, Rockford, and Walker’s Bluff.
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