Hollywood Casino Aurora set sail on a new voyage Wednesday, opening its $360 million entertainment complex on rain-soaked dry land, with high hopes of becoming a west suburban tourist magnet.
Located near Interstate 88 and Chicago Premium Outlets mall, the new Hollywood Casino Aurora features 1,200 gaming positions, a 226-room hotel, a 12,000-square-foot event center and a smorgasbord of dining options including Sorella by Giada and Boulevard Food & Drink.
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The latest land-based casino to open in Illinois, the new Hollywood Casino Aurora replaces one of the state’s original riverboat venues, which closed earlier this month after 30 years of rolling the dice on the Fox River.
“I think this is nothing short of evolutionary,” said Greg Moore, vice president and general manager of Hollywood Casino Aurora. “Our previous venue was designed to be a casino that happened to have some food and beverage options. Our new venue that we’re opening now is a full-on entertainment facility, so it’s meant to attract people that might not be gamblers at all.”
After a successful test run of the gaming floor Tuesday, the new casino was granted final approval by the Gaming Board to open to the public Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. Invited guests got the first crack at the slot machines, table games and new amenities during a private afternoon session.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday afternoon featured executives of casino owner Penn Entertainment, politicos, Illinois Gaming Board staffers and a smattering of celebrities, ready to usher in a new era of gaming in the western suburbs.
The festivities were moved inside because of rain, but it did not dampen the spirits of attendees — or the volume of the ceremony.
A traditional Chinese lion dance followed the ribbon cutting, with costumed performers moving to cymbals and a pounding drum.
“We do dances to bring blessings prosperity, and good luck to everyone here,” said Alex Wong, leader of the Chicago-based dance group.
The Joliet and Aurora boats were among the first to hit the water after Illinois legalized riverboat gambling 36 years ago. A 2019 change in the state’s gambling law allowed casinos to move to dry land, setting off a building boom that has catapulted new land-based casinos to the upper echelon of the monthly revenue rankings.
“Together with our landside move in Joliet last summer, we have reinvested over $500 million in the Chicagoland market over the last three years, resulting in more jobs, meaningful state and local tax revenue, and further enhancing the region as a must-visit destination,” Jay Snowden, CEO and president of Penn Entertainment, said in a news release.
Co-owned Hollywood Casino Joliet, which moved in August from a riverboat to a new land-based casino with similar amenities — sans the hotel — has seen its revenue and attendance jump.
Hollywood Casino Joliet ranks fifth among the state’s 17 casinos with $60.9 million in adjusted gross receipts through May, up 67% year-over-year, according to the latest report from the Illinois Gaming Board.
Meanwhile, Hollywood Casino Aurora ranks ninth with $41.8 million in revenue, down slightly year-over-year, according to Gaming Board data.
The city and casino executives are expecting Hollywood Casino Aurora to grow significantly at the new facility, with a plethora of restaurants, amenities, a hotel and a brand-new gaming floor. Being located next to a major regional outlet mall may also help casino traffic.
“Because we have the hotel and that outlet mall next door, I think we’re going to capture a lot more out-of-town gamblers,” Moore said.
The casino is also hoping to attract more nongamblers, with the restaurants and food hall providing an incentive to stop by. Like its sister casino in Joliet, the new Aurora complex includes a food hall and an Italian restaurant from celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis.
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Sorella by Giada is billed as an “elevated Italian steakhouse” with expansive indoor and outdoor seating and a modern California vibe. De Laurentiis promises a different experience than the more casual Joliet sister restaurant, touting everything from the Italian-sourced Piedmontese ribeye to an assortment of pasta dishes prepared in a culinary “fishbowl” for patrons to watch.
“I’ve never done a steakhouse before anywhere, so I’m really excited to introduce that to Chicago,” De Laurentiis said. “I feel like this is the right place for something like this.”
Boulevard Food & Drink Hall features many of the same offerings as Joliet, including Chicago favorites Antique Taco and Pretty Cool Ice Cream, as well as Lucky Goat, a new burger restaurant by celebrity chef Stephanie Izard.
Both De Laurentiis and Izard were on hand for the opening of the Aurora casino complex Wednesday.
Izard, the first woman to win Bravo’s “Top Chef,” said Lucky Goat has been well-received in Joliet, and she expects the new location to resonate with gamblers and gastronomes alike in the new location as well.
“I think everybody loves a chicken sandwich, everyone loves a burger, so it’s kind of that go-to comfort food for folks that are just either at the casino or not,” Izard said.
After Wednesday’s ceremony, a large crowd of VIPs milled about the lobby and slowly filtered onto the gaming floor amid a circus-like atmosphere that included performers on stilts and a blaring DJ.
Meanwhile, a lone harpist gamely plucked away unnoticed and unheard in a lobby alcove, drowned out by the unexpected noise.
“I was stationed in the hotel lobby so that when people came in on their way to the floor, they would have harp music,” said Hannah Magraw, a harpist for hire from Montgomery. “I will do what I am told and it will be a lovely afternoon.”