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Read Full BioPENN Entertainment has announced that Hollywood Casino Aurora will open in Illinois on June 24. The new $360 million casino is being developed across from Chicago Premium Outlets, located near Interstate-88 in Aurora.
The complex will feature a hotel, more than 1,200 gaming positions, a retail sportsbook, an outdoor entertainment area, a full-service spa, premium bars, and restaurants. It will also house a 12,000-square-foot event center and approximately 1,700 parking spaces.
In an announcement confirming the expected opening date, PENN CEO Jay Snowden commented, “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.”
Upgraded Riverboats Increasing Revenue
Hollywood Joliet opened in August last year, with several hundred customers lining up to enter the new complex. The casino resort, which cost $185 million, features approximately 1,000 slots and 43 live table games, and a retail sportsbook.
The venue reported revenue of $11.3 million for its first full month in September. That was a 48% increase from September 2024, when it was operating as a riverboat casino.
Hollywood Casino Aurora was the Hollywood Casino Corporation’s first riverboat casino, opening in 1993. Originally, two riverboats were used, which later evolved into a 70,000-square-foot floating, moored, half-circle structure.
The casino has 53,000 square feet of gaming space, with over 1,000 slot machines and 26 table games. The venue also has one restaurant.
Diverse Dining & Entertainment Options
The new land-based venue will be a significant upgrade, particularly in terms of its entertainment spaces. PENN said it will offer numerous world-class dining experiences for guests.
The company has partnered with celebrity chef and entrepreneur Giada De Laurentiis to open Sorella by Giada. Boulevard Food & Drink Hall, meanwhile, will host a range of dining options, including Lucky Goat by celebrity chef Stephanie Izard, Five50 Pizza, Antique Taco, and Pretty Cool Ice Cream.
“These popular restaurateurs will provide our customers with amazing dining options at the new Hollywood Casino Aurora,” said Rafael Verde, Senior Vice President of Regional Operations, PENN Entertainment. “Together with our hotel, event center, spa, and additional amenities, patrons will experience a vibrant atmosphere at this new area attraction.”
PENN Chooses Casinos Over Prediction Markets
After its failed venture with ESPN Bet, PENN has no interest in experimenting with prediction markets. Snowden has warned that the markets pose a threat to its online betting arm, which now focuses fully on theScore Bet in the US.
However, fears of regulatory backlash have prevented the company from launching its own platforms, as other sportbooks have. In the company’s earnings call last month, he stated, “When regulators say, ‘This is illegal gambling, don’t do it,’ we don’t do it.”
Instead, the company is focusing on new developments and regulated online gambling to drive revenue. In addition to the Aurora casino, the company will open a new hotel tower at its Hollywood Casino Columbus in Ohio later this year.
Its interactive segment has also performed better since ESPN Bet’s closure. In Q4 last year, iGaming revenue increased 40%, and sports betting was up 73%.
Snowden stated, “We are encouraged by the trajectory of our interactive business, with a more streamlined cost structure and regionally focused marketing strategy that prioritizes jurisdictions with both legalized iCasino and online sports betting.”
Snowden also said he expects the new Hollywood Casino in Aurora to be a success, following the strong results from the water-to-land transition of the Joilet venue.
