Penn Entertainment will close the Hollywood Casino Aurora riverboat at 5:59 a.m. CDT on 10 June, two weeks before opening its new $360 million land-based casino in Aurora, Illinois.
Good to Know
The new Hollywood Casino Aurora sits at 2500 N. Farnsworth Ave., next to Chicago Premium Outlets and near I-88. That location gives Penn Entertainment a larger land-based site after more than three decades of casino operations on the downtown riverboat. Penn confirmed the closure date and the 24 June target opening in its latest investor release.
Jay Snowden, CEO and President of Penn Entertainment, said:
“We are less than a month away from welcoming our loyal customers and guests to the new state-of-the-art Hollywood Casino Aurora. Our Aurora riverboat has created thousands of memorable experiences and supported economic development throughout the city for over three decades, and we look forward to replicating these successes for years to come.”
The new venue adds a broader resort model. Plans include roughly 1,200 gaming positions, slot machines, table games, a high-limit area, a baccarat room and a retail sportsbook. Penn also plans a 226-room hotel, full-service spa, outdoor entertainment area, 12,000-square-foot event center and around 1,700 parking spaces.
Dining will play a bigger role than at the riverboat. Penn has listed Sorella by Giada and Boulevard Food & Drink Hall among the food and beverage options at the new Aurora property. The company also said the new website will launch on 10 June with restaurant hours, menus and reservation details.
Rafael Verde, Senior Vice President of Operations for Penn Entertainment, said:
“Our new location is ideally situated to welcome guests to enjoy a broad array of entertainment and dining experiences in the region. In the meantime, we invite our customers to visit our nearby locations, including the new Hollywood Casino Joliet and Ameristar East Chicago.”
The downtown Hollywood Casino Aurora opened on 17 June 1993, when Illinois casino law still tied properties to riverboats. Illinois later allowed land-based casino relocation, and Aurora backed the new site with an up-front $50 million payment through a tax increment financing structure. The city development page says the project relocates the casino to an 18.7-acre site near I-88 and Farnsworth Road.
Useful context: Illinois casino operators have been moving away from older riverboat formats where law allows it. Penn already opened the new land-based Hollywood Casino Joliet in the Chicago area, while the Aurora project gives the company another larger property with hotel, dining and sportsbook traffic tied to a major retail corridor.