Illinois Casinos | 2025 Updates

Illinois will soon have six new casinos authorized by the Rebuild Illinois Act of 2019. There are currently ten riverboat casinos and no Native American casinos in the state.

Native American Owned Casinos
Two of the six new casinos will be owned by Native American tribes. The Hard Rock Casino in Rockford is owned by the Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida, and the Wind Creek Chicago Southland in the Homewood/East Hazel Crest area is owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama. These two casinos will operate as commercial casinos under Illinois laws rather than as Indian gaming casinos under federal regulation.

New Illinois Casinos

The Rebuild Illinois Law enacted in June 2019 authorizes six new casinos to be built in the following cities:

1. Chicago: Bally's Chicago
   Opens Sept. 2026. Temporary casino opened Sept. 9, 2023.

2. Chicago Southland: Wind Creek Chicago Southland
   Opened November 11, 2024

3. Danville: Golden Nugget Danville
   Opened May 27, 2023

4. Rockford: Hard Rock Casino Rockford
   Opened Aug. 29, 2024. Temporary opened Nov. 10, 2021 and closed on August 12, 2024.

5. Walker's Bluff: Walker's Bluff Casino Resort
   Opened August 25, 2023

6. Waukegan: American Place
   Opens 2027; Temporary casino opened Feb 17, 2023

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News Headlines

Wind Creek Chicago Southland Opens Full Resort April 9, 2025 - Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino & Resort announced yesterday its luxury hotel and spa will open Friday, April 11, 2025. The AAA Four Diamonds hotel is ... Read more

Bally's Chicago Construction Update | March 2025 March 2, 2025 - Chicago officials have approved the site plan for Bally's $1.7 billion casino complex to be built along side the Chicago River. The site plan covers 30 acres at the former ... Read more

Waukegan's Permanent Casino To Resume Construction January 30, 2025 - The long-delayed construction of the permanent American Place Resort and Casino in Waukegan will now resume ... Read more

Wind Creek Chicago Southland | What's coming next? December 21, 2024 - Wind Creek Chicago Southland will complete the remaining features of its $529 million resort in 2025, making it the first AAA Four Diamond Casino in Illinois ... Read more

Wind Creek Chicago Southland Opens 11 AM Today! Nov 11, 2024 November 11, 2024 - Eleven ... eleven ... eleven! Today is 11/11, and 11 AM is when Wind Creek Chicago Southland will open its doors to the public for the very first time ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford jumps to 2nd largest in Illinois casino revenue October 12, 2024 - Amazing! Hard Rock Rockford jumped from ninth to second in the number of visitors and Illinois gaming revenue in its first full month ... Read more

Illinois Minimum Gambling Age

Minimum gambling ages are 21 years old for casinos, 21 for poker, 18 for bingo, 21 for sports betting, 18 for horse racing, 18 for the lottery.

Massive Illinois Gambling Expansion

June 29, 2019

When Gov. Pritzker sign the Rebuild Illinois Act into law June 29, 2019, a massive gambling expansion was launched in Illinois.

The law legalizes sports betting, authorizes six new land-based casinos, authorizes casino gambling at all three horse tracks and two future tracks, allows 7,000 video gambling machines at locations across the state, and adds 5,000 sports betting kiosks at retail locations with lottery kiosks.

For details, see our news article below, Illinois Authorizes Sports Betting & Six New Casinos

Illinois Riverboat Casinos

In February 1990 Illinois became the second state in the nation to legalize riverboat gambling when the state legislature enacted the Riverboat Gambling Act authorizing the Illinois Gaming Board to issue up to ten casino licenses.

You must be 21 years of age to enter the gambling areas of an Illinois casino.

The Riverboat Gambling Act requires that all casino wagering must use tokens, chips or electronic cards. No cash. Each casino is authorized up to operate 1,200 gaming positions. Casinos may have two vessels at one docksite, but cannot have more than 1,200 gaming positions between both vessels.

See Casino List below.

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Illinois Casinos Directory

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News Articles

Five tribes propose building commercial casinos in Illinois

October 25, 2019

Illinois has authorized six new casinos to be licensed and built under the Rebuild Illinois Act signed into law by Gov. Pritzker on June 29, 2019. The six locations for these new casinos are Chicago, Danvillle, Rockford, South Suburbs, Walker's Bluff and Waukegan.

Casino applicants have submitted proposals to local governments for review and approval. All approved proposals will be forwarded this week to the Illinois Gaming Board for final approval and licensing. The Board may take up to one year to complete the process.

Among the many casino applicants are five Native American tribes which all own successful casino operations in other states. In Illinois they are seeking to build state-licensed commercial casinos rather than federally authorized Indian gaming casinos.

These are the tribes that have submitted casino proposals:

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has proposed a $300 million casino hotel in Matteson Village, a south suburb of Chicago. (See story)

Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin has proposed building a $300 million commercial casino and hotel on land it owns in Lynwood, Illinois, south of Chicago. (See story)

Seminole Tribe of Florida owns Hard Rock International, which has been approved by the Rockford City Council to build a $310 million casino hotel. (See story)

Potawatomi of Forest County, Wisconsin, has proposed building a casino in the City of Waukegan, Illinnois. (See story)

Poarch Creek Indians of Alabama, and owners of Wind Creek Hospitality has proposed building a $275 million casino about 26 miles south of Chicago in the communities of East Hazel Crest and Homewood. (See story)

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Illinois Authorizes Sports Betting & Six New Casinos

June 29, 2019

Courtesy of State Journal Register

Gambling has been greatly expanded in Illinois after a $45B infrastructure plan was signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker yesterday.

The new law named "Rebuild Illinois" is designed to create 540,000 new jobs from state-financed construction projects for transportation, education, high-speed internet, healthcare and the environment.

The Rebuild Illinois Law will be paid for by new revenues from expanded gambling, a 19-cents hike in the state gasoline tax, and $1 more tax on a pack of cigarettes.

The new revenues from gambling will come from legalization of sports betting and licensing fees and tax revenues from six new casinos.

SPORTS BETTING

Illinois Gaming Board will licensee and regulate all sports betting within the state. The type of license and its rules for operation will be based on the business of the applicant. Upon licensing all successful applicant may immediately operate their sports book online.

Licenses for "brick and mortar" businesses will be issued to all qualified casinos, racinos and sports venues with over 17,000 spectator seats.

All wagering accounts must be set up at a licensed sport book facility during the first 18 months.

Three online licenses will be issued to web operators. The first will be issued after 18 months of brick and mortar operation.

The Illinois Lottery will install and operate sports betting terminals at retail locations with lottery kiosks. There will be 2,500 lottery sports betting terminals in the first year and another 2,5000 terminals added in the second year.

The state has prohibited betting on Illinois college teams.

NEW CASINOS

Under the new law the total number of state-sponsored gambling positions is increased by 36,000 on top of the existing 44,000. These "gambling positions" are defined as seats to place a bet. New casinos will be allowed up to 2,000 positions.

The Illinois Gaming Board will issue gaming licenses to six new casinos. Each will be a privately-owned, land-based casino regulated by the gaming board.

A maximum number of gambling positions is specified under this law for each of the six new casinos:

1. Chicago
   Maximum 4,000 gambling positions

2. Danville
   Maximum 2,000 gambling positions

3. Rockford
   Maximum 2,000 gambling positions

4. South Suburbs
   Maximum 2,000 gambling positions

5. Walker's Bluff
   Maximum 1,200 gambling positions

6. Waukegan
   Maximum 2,000 gambling positions

RACINOS (Racetrack Casinos)

The three Illinois horsetracks will be licensed to add casino games. Two new racinos are allowed under the new law. The number of live racing dates will be increased at each track.

VIDEO GAMING MACHINES

The Illinois Gaming Board will license up to 7,000 video gambling machines at independent locations across the state. The maximum number of terminals is 5 per location. Bets are limited to $2 to $4.

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Illinois lawmakers consider adding 6 new casinos

May 28, 2018

Possibly six new casinos could be developed in the state if a proposed gaming expansion measure is approved by Illinois lawmakers. On Monday the measure will be discussed by the Illinois House Executive Committee.

It is expected that the proposed measure will receive approval to move forward. The measure would allow for two horse racing tracks to be converted into a casino. One of the race tracks is located in Arlinton.

One concern over the proposal has to do with Rivers Casino. Rivers Casino currently pays the state and host city Des Plains nearly $10 million yearly from tax revenue. Provisions are being requested that would help protect the yearly tax amount that Des Plains receives. The money paid to the casino host city goes towards infrastructure, road maintance, and sidewalk repair.

In 2011 Rivers Casino opened. In order to receive the gaming license for the casino, there was an agreement made that for the next 30 years a payment of $10 million would be made to the state. Of the remaining revenue, 40% would be paid to the 10 nearby communities. However, if there are more casinos added to the state the chance of revenue earned at Rivers Casino will most likely go down.

Locations for the other casinos has not been decided. Proposals have been made for Danville, Carbondale, Chicago, Rockford, and Waukegan. The Chicago location would be located in a section of the O'Hare Airport and a separate standalone location. 4,000 slot machines would be in operation in Chicago.

For many years owners and advocates for horse track racing venues have sought the addition of electronic gaming machines. If the proposed measure is approved, the race tracks would be allowed to offer these types of games.

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News Headlines Continued

2024

Wind Creek Chicago Southland to open Nov. 11 October 11, 2024 - Wind Creek Chicago Southland will open its south suburban casino on Nov. 11, 2024, according to Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld. The date is pending final state approval ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford Opens Today! August 29, 2024 - Are you going to today's grand opening of the new Hard Rock Casino in Rockford, Illinois? If so, have a great time! This will be a major, memorable event! Here are a few things ... Read more

Bally's Chicago | Demolition Begins at Casino Site August 28, 2024 - A demolition event was held yesterday at Halsted Street and Chicago Avenue to begin clearing the former Freedom Center printing facility from a 30-acre River West site ... Read more

Rockford's Hard Rock Casino Boosts Local Businesses September 24, 2024 - Since opening Aug. 29th, Rockford's Hard Rock Casino has been attracting large crowds of visitors and bringing more customers to local businesses ... Read more

Wind Creek Chicago Southland Prepares for Opening September 14, 2024 - Wind Creek Chicago Southland is preparing to open this fall. The specific date has not been announced; however, fall begins in a few days. For the past few ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford | Big Crowds September 12, 2024 - The Hard Rock Casino Rockford opened its doors two weeks ago today and has already attracted an impressive number of visitors and a significant amount of revenue ... Read more

Rockford's Hard Rock Lights Up 62-ft Guitar August 23, 2024 - The new Hard Rock Casino in Rockford held a 'pre-grand opening' event this week when its 62-foot checkerboard guitar was lit up for the first time ... Read more

Rockford Casino is Permanently Closed Today! August 12, 2024 - The temporary Rockford Casino was permanently shut down this morning at 5 AM Aug. 12. The closure comes 17 days before to the grand opening of the new Hard Rock Casino Rockford ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford's 62-ft guitar monument arrives by truck August 14, 2024 - A 62-foot iconic guitar monument arrives this week by truck from Maryland to be mounted outside the entrance to the new Hard Rock ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford | Hiring Event July 7, 2024 - Hard Rock Casino Rockford has held two hiring events in July in preparation for the grand opening of its permanent casino on August 29th. Hard Rock is seeking new employees ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford counts down to Aug. 29 opening! August 3, 2024 - Construction of Hard Rock Casino in Rockford, IL, reached an important milestone last Wednesday called "substantial completion". The term means the ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford | New Restaurants & Bars June 23, 2024 - Hard Rock Casino Rockford will debut nine restaurants and bars when the casino opens its doors for the first time at 3 pm April 29th. The venues include four ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford announces concerts for grand opening June 16, 2024 - Hard Rock Casino Rockford has announced a weekend of concerts during its 4-day grand opening celebration that kicks off at 3 pm Thursday Aug. 29th ... Read more

Hard Rock Rockford will close its temporary casino on Aug. 12 August 2, 2024 - Hard Rock Casino Rockford announced today it will permanently close its temporary casino on Monday, Aug. 12 and transfer the employees to the new ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford Opens Aug. 29, 2024 June 12, 2024 - Hard Rock International announced yesterday the grand opening of Hard Rock Casino in Rockford, Illinois will be held on Thursday, August 29, 2024. The date is subject to final ... Read more

Waukegan Casino Opening Delayed to 2027 March 28, 2024 - Full House Resorts, which operate The Temporary at American Place in Waukegan, told investors this month the permanent American Place casino hotel will not open until 2027 ... Read more

Hard Rock Rockford on-schedule for August opening April 22, 2024 - Hard Rock Casino in Rockford, IL, continues on-schedule for an opening in August. The official date is "no later than Labor Day". With four months to go, the priorities are shifting to the ... Read more

Wind Creek Chicago Southland Opens in July 2024 March 15, 2024 - Wind Creek Chicago Southland casino could open as soon as July, according to Roger Kuehn, the casino's executive vice president and general manager. The hotel will open 5-6 months later ... Read more

Hard Rock Rockford | First Look Inside March 14, 2024 - Hard Rock casino officials in Rockford took media outlets on a tour this week to see the inside progress of this $310 million construction project. The casino opening is expected by Labor Day ... Read more

Bally's Chicago confirms late 2026 opening date February 29, 2024 - During corporate earnings meeting this month, Bally's confirmed its $1.7 million Chicago casino is still planned for opening in late 2026. The company also expressed delight with the 4Q growth of ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford Construction | March 2024 Update March 8, 2024 - The permanent Hard Rock Casino in Rockford, Illinois, is still on-schedule to open by Labor Day 2024, according to Geno Iafrate, President Hard Rock ... Read more

Wind Creek Chicago Southland | February 2024 Update February 23, 2024 - Wind Creek Chicago Southland is on-track to open in late summer 2024 according to the casino's employment website. This is the first confirmation since last November ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford | February 2024 Update February 21, 2024 - Construction of the Hard Rock Casino in Rockford, Illinois continues on-scheduled for a grand opening in August 2024. The hotel will open a few months later. In preparation for ... Read more

2023

Waukegan Casino: Court Decision Supports "Rigged" Casino Selection Claim August 19, 2023 - Construction of the American Place casino resort in Waukegan, Illinois may be delayed after the Illinois First District Appellate Court sided with the Potawatomi lawsuit ... Read more

Bally's Chicago temporary casino begins 24/7 operation today December 27, 2023 - Bally's temporary casino at Medinah Temple bagan 24/7 operations today Wednesday Dec. 27. Previous hours were 8 AM to 4 AM. The change followed ... Read more

Rockford's Hard Rock construction is 60% complete December 24, 2023 - In a news video released by WREX, the construction of the permanent Hard Rock Casino in Rockford is now 60% complete. This update is from the construction company ... Read more

Bally's Chicago Casino may never be built December 5, 2023 - The $1.7 billion Bally's Chicago Casino may be at risk of never being built. There are two underlying reasons that contribute to this possibility. First, Bally's is reportedly having difficulty raising construction funds ... Read more

Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino Revises Opening Date November 17, 2023 - The estimated opening date for the Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino has been revised to sometime next summer. A casino official says the opening date is now expected in the ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford Construction Update - Nov. 2023 November 6, 2023 - Hard Rock officials recently confirmed the construction of the Rockford casino has passed its halfway point and continues on-schedule for a grand opening in Aug.-Sept. 2024 ... Read more

Danville's Golden Nugget Casino receives permanent license November 5, 2023 - The Golden Nugget Casino in Danville received a permanent casino license from the Illinois Gaming Control Board (IGB) last week. The casino opened in May with a temporary ... Read more

Rockford Hard Rock Casino Construction Update - Dec. 2023 December 13, 2023 - Construction of the Rockford Hard Rock Casino has been progressing on schedule since the groundbreaking September 28, 2022. The work is about 60% finished according to. ... Read more

Bally's Chicago casino license is approved October 30, 2023 - Last Thursday the Illinois Gaming Control Board (IGB) approved the casino license for Bally's permanent casino. The IGB also approved a 12-month extension of Bally's license at the Medinah Temple. ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford releases more 2024 renderings October 25, 2023 - New artist renderings have been released showing how the permanent Hard Rock Casino in Rockford will look when it opens in late summer 2024 ... Read more

Wind Creek Chicago Southland Construction Update - Oct. 2023 October 10, 2023 - Wind Creek Hospitality, the developer and operator of Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino, announced a major financial milestone this week. Wind Creek has received a ... Read more

Bally's celebrates grand opening of temporary Chicago casino October 3, 2023 - Bally's celebrated the official grand opening Tuesday of its downtown casino in the Medinah Temple. The casino began operating on Sep.9 and will continue for the next three ... Read more

Bally's Casino at Medinah Temple Opened Today 8 AM September 9, 2023 - Bally's opened its temporary casino at 8 AM today inside the Medinah Temple in River North. The casino is the first in Chicago. The opening follows days of inspection and testing ... Read more

Bally's Chicago hopes to open temporary casino this week! September 3, 2023 - Bally's Chicago will open a temporary casino at the Medinah Temple soon after Labor Day. The temporary casino will be the first in Chicago and will operate during construction of ... Read more

Walker's Bluff Casino officially opens today! August 25, 2023 - Walker's Bluff Casino will officially open its doors to the public at noon today. A ceremonial ribbon cutting will precede the opening at 11:45. The public is invited, and all guests must be 21 years or older. ... Read more

Waukegan Casino: Court Decision Supports "Rigged" Casino Selection Claim August 19, 2023 - Construction of the American Place casino resort in Waukegan, Illinois may be delayed after the Illinois First District Appellate Court sided with the Potawatomi lawsuit ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford IL celebrates construction milestone July 15, 2023 - Construction crews at the Hard Rock Casino building site in Rockford, Illinois, hoisted the final steel beam into place Wednesday marking the completion of the outer structure ... Read more

Wind Creek Chicago Delays Opening To 2025 July 13, 2023 - A recent disclosure in the development agreements between Wind Creek Chicago Southland and the communities of Homewood and East Hazel Crest reveal an opening date of January ... Read more

Danville's new Golden Nugget Casino is Now Open! June 3, 2023 - The new Golden Nugget Casino opened last Saturday in Danville, Illinois. The doors were opened to the public at 4:00 PM on May 27th, following the issuance of a temporary operat ... Read more

Bally's Chicago Casino releases final renderings May 18, 2023 - Bally's updated plan for its $1.7 billion River West casino received final approval last week from the city's zoning administrator. New renderings of the updated design were released to the media showing ... Read more

Hard Rock Rockford: Construction Updates - April 2023 April 14, 2023 - The earth work is nearly finished and the foundation work continues to move forward at the new Hard Rock Casino site in Rockford, Illinois. Now the first vertical steel beams are rising as the next ... Read more

Waukegan's "The Temporary by American Place" is now open! February 20, 2023 - The Temporary by American Place has opened in Waukegan as an interim casino during construction of American Place Waukegan. The Temporary opened Friday Feb. 17 inside a fabric tent ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford adds live table games April 11, 2023 - Live table games have come to Hard Rock's temporary casino in Rockford, Illinois. Six new tables have been added for players to enjoy Blackjack, Three-card Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold 'em. ... Read more

Walker's Bluff Casino & Resort: Construction Update - March 2023 March 2, 2023 - Walker's Bluff Casino & Resort is preparing to open its doors this spring. As the exterior of the building nears the final stages of construction, and the interior work and installations ... Read more

Hard Rock Rockford: Construction Update Feb 2023 February 11, 2023 - When will the permanent Hard Rock Casino open in Rockford, Illinois? Hard Rock executives have been tight-lipped about their forecast. Currently the construction crews are preparing the ... Read more

Rockford Casino: A Hard Rock Opening Act made $55M in 2022 February 1, 2023 - Hard Rock's temporary casino in Rockford, Illinois hit the jackpot in 2022. Over 463,000 people visited the casino, which received $54.7 million in revenues last year. ... Read more

2022

Wind Creek Chicago partners with Chicago Bulls November 28, 2022 - Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino has signed a six-year partnership agreement with the Chicago Bull to be the team's "official casino". Wind Creek signage will soon appear at United Center ... Read more

Golden Nugget Danville is on-schedule to open March 2023 November 25, 2022 - Casino GM Basens has confirmed to media that construction of the Golden Nugget in Danville, IL is on schedule for completion by March 2023. All the exterior work on the 60,000-sq-ft casino ... Read more

Rockford Casino celebrates 1st-year anniversary November 15, 2022 - Rockford Casino: A Hard Rock Opening Act celebrated its one-year anniversary Thursday. The special event featured musical entertainment, free giveaways, player promos, and restaurant ... Read more

Waukegan casino construction update - Nov. 2022 November 12, 2022 - The Temporary by American Place is nearing completion in Waukegan, IL. The Temporary is an interim casino that will operate during construction of the American Place Waukegan casino hotel. ... Read more

Update: Hard Rock Casino Rockford officially breaks ground October 1, 2022 - The official groundbreaking ceremony for the permanent Hard Rock Casino in Rockford was held Wednesday afternoon Sept. 28th. The casino site is 7801 East State Street near the I-90 exit ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford officially breaks ground Sept. 28, 2022 September 23, 2022 - Construction of Hard Rock Casino Rockford will begin Wednesday Sept. 28 with a private ground-breaking ceremony. The event is invitation-only due to open field conditions ... Read more

Hard Rock Rockford construction status - Sep 2022 September 10, 2022 - Last week the Illinois Gaming Board gave Hard Rock the approval to begin site work for construction of the permanent Hard Rock Casino in Rockford. The City of Rockford has issued ... Read more

Walker's Bluff Casino Status - Update Aug 2022 August 21, 2022 - Construction of Walker's Bluff Casino Resort continues on schedule for a 2023 grand opening. The aerial photo in this video shows the framing and foundation work is nearly finished. ... Read more

Rockford Casino sets highest visitor record in July August 17, 2022 - Hard Rock's Rockford Casino continues to grow more business since first opening in July 2021. Statistics from the Illinois Gaming Board show 44,873 people visited the temporary casino last month. ... Read more

Rockford Casino wants to add sportsbook and table games August 10, 2022 - Hard Rock is seeking approval from state regulators to add a sportsbook and a small number of table games to its temporary casino in Rockford, Illinois. ... Read more

Waukegan's "The Temporary" casino opens Oct-Dec 2022 June 30, 2022 - During construction of the American Place Waukegan, an interim casino will operate 24/7 with 1,000 slot machines, 50 table games, three restaurants and a bar located inside a ... Read more

American Place Waukegan Update - June 2022 June 23, 2022 - American Place will open a temporary casino later this year, which will operate for the duration of the construction of the permanent American Place Waukegan. The temporary casino will be named "The ... Read more

Wind Creek Chicago Southland celebrates groundbreaking June 11, 2022 - Last week a formal groundbreaking ceremony was celebrated by Wind Creek officials, Poarch Creek Indian leaders, and local officials marking the official start of construction ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford prepares for groundbreaking May 26, 2022 - Hard Rock Casino Rockford is preparing to break ground on a permanent casino soon at the site of the old Clock Tower. The new construction will include a casino and a 250-room hotel. ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford expedites hotel build May 15, 2022 - Hard Rock now plans to build a 250-room hotel concurrently with the construction of its casino. The original plan was to build the hotel a few years after opening the casino. The first phase was to build only ... Read more

Chicago casino selection is announced by Mayor May 6, 2022 - Yesterday the final selection for the first Chicago casino was announced by Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The winning bidder is Bally's in River West. Hard Rock Casino Hotel and Rivers at The 78 had been been ... Read more

Danville breaks ground on new casino today April 19, 2022 - A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled today in Danville, Illinois for the new Golden Nugget Danville casino. Construction is expected to be completed in less than a year with a grand opening in March 2024. ... Read more

Chicago casino proposals are cut to three finalists March 30, 2022 - Last week Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the city has postponed its final selection for a Chicago casino until early summer, and instead has selected three applicants as finalists for further consideration ... Read more

Rockford Casino Status Report - March 2022 March 24, 2022 - Although the temporary Rockford Casino has been operating since November, construction of the permanent Hard Rock Casino in Rockford has not started and a groundbreaking date has not been ... Read more

Golden Nugget Danville gets green light from Illinois Gaming Board March 18, 2022 - Last week the Golden Nugget Danville took a major step forward when the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB)issued a "preliminary finding of suitability". The is prerequisite action ... Read more

Rockford Casino adds Sunday Jazz Brunch, WINESdays in March March 4, 2022 - Rock Hard's temporary casino ion Rockford, A Hard Rock Opening Act, has added two weekly events for March. The first is "Sunday Jazz Brunch" at the Rock River Bar & Grill every Sunday ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford partners with IceHogs February 11, 2022 - This week Hard Rock Casino Rockford announced a five-year sponsorship deal with the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. The deal includes a Hard Rock VIP suite inside. ... Read more

Hard Rock Rockford is granted final license for construction January 29, 2022 - This week the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) voted 4 to 1 to license the Hard Rock Casino Rockford to build a $310 million casino on the site of the former Clock Tower Resort at ... Read more

2021

Chicago casino proposals presented at public meeting December 20, 2021 - Five casino proposals for Chicago were presented Thursday at a public meeting with Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Bally's presented two proposals, Rush Street presented two, and Hard Rock pre ... Read more

Illinois Gaming Board selects American Place for Waukegan casino December 14, 2021 - The Illinois Gaming Board on Wednesday approved a casino for Waukegan. The board selected and approved the American Place casino project proposed by Full House Resorts ... Read more

Wind Creek Chicago Southland approved by Illinois Gaming Board December 12, 2021 - A new casino is coming to the south suburbs of Chicago. This week the Illinois Gaming Board selected Wind Creek Chicago Southland to build a casino resort in the East Hazel ... Read more

Walkers Bluff breaks ground on $180M casino December 11, 2021 - Gov. J.B. Pritzker was in Carterville this week to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Walker's Bluff Casino Resort. The casino will feature 650 slots ... Read more

Rockford Casino earns $8.4M in first two months January 13, 2022 - Since opening Nov. 10, Rockford's Hard Rock casino has generated $8.4 million in revenues. Of that amount the casino will pay 511,000 to state taxes and $255,400 to local taxes. According to the ... Read more

Hard Rock's Rockford Casino brings $4.1M in first month December 9, 2021 - Hard Rock's temporary casino in Rockford, Illinois pulled $4.1 million in revenue in November. The number of casino visitors was 41,637. The Rockford casino opened November 10, 2021 and ... Read more

Potawatomi Tribe claims Waukegan casino license is a 'rigged process' November 24, 2021 - The long, long process to select a applicant for the Waukegan casino license has become longer. The Illinois Gaming Board delayed the selection process Thursday ... Read more

New details on 5 Chicago casino proposals November 22, 2021 - The office of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot release additioinal details about the five Chicago casino proposals on Friday. Each proposal will be reviewed by a committee of city department leaders who will select one to ... Read more

Hard Rock opens temporary casino in Rockford, IL November 11, 2021 - Yesterday Hard Rock International opened a temporary casino named Rockford Casino to operate during the construction phase of the $310 million Hard Rock Casino in Rockford, IL. ... Read more

5 proposals submitted for Chicago casino-resort November 2, 2021 - Four applicants for the sole Chicago casino license have proposed five different locations to the Illinois Gaming Board. All applications were received by the board prior to the Oct. 29 deadline. ... Read more

Which tribe will build Chicagoland's south suburban casino? November 1, 2021 - The Illinois Gaming Board has selected two applicants as finalists for Cook County's south suburban casino license. The finalists are the Choctaw Nation (OK) and the Poarch Indians (AL) ... Read more

Video Tour of Hard Rock's Rockford Casino October 18, 2021 - Take a preview walk through Rockford's temporary Hard Rock Casino, which opens in a few weeks. The 21,000 square foot facility is ready to open with over 700 slot machines, a bar and grill and a casino bar. ... Read more

Rockford's Hard Rock Casino Delays Opening Date October 14, 2021 - The opening of the temporary Rockford Casino will now likely be in November. An exact date has not been announced. This is a slight delay from the late October date expected after completing the ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford prepares to open temporary casino September 20, 2021 - Hard Rock Casino in Rockford, IL is preparing to open a temporary slots casino within the next few weeks. During the past two months Hard Rock has hired hundreds of new employees ... Read more

Rockford's Hard Rock Casino will open temporary casino in October July 30, 2021 - The Hard Rock casino project in Rockford, Illinois will open a temporary slots casino in October 2021 to operate during the construction a permanent facility. The date was ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford advances with key IGB approvals July 18, 2021 - Hard Rock Casino Rockford made a major advance this week in its long approval process with the Illinois Gaming Board. The board approved the list of owners, executives, managers and assoc ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford gets OK for temp casino June 28, 2021 - The Illinois Gaming Board has approved construction of a temporary Hard Rock Casino in Rockford inside the former Giovanni's Restaurant and Convention Center. The temporary casino ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford takes major steps forward June 14, 2021 - The Hard Rock Casino Rockford project took several major steps forward in last week's Illinois Gaming Board meeting. The Board approved a list of casino executives and investors and issued a ... Read more

Walker's Bluff Casino Resort granted 'preliminary license' June 13, 2021 - Walker's Bluff owner Cynde Bunch announced this week, "We were granted a 'preliminary license to proceed'! Today we celebrate. Tomorrow at daylight we ride through a new set" ... Read more

Tribes are devastated after one year of COVID-19 March 18, 2021 - As the Covid-19 pandemic began spreading across our nation last year, its impact became the most deadly in our tribal communities. Tribal economies also collapsed as casinos were shut down ... Read more

Hard Rock Rockford clears casino site March 15, 2021 - Construction crews are clearing the site for the Hard Rock Casino planned for Rockford, IL following preliminary approval from the Illinois Gaming Board to begin construction. Crews are removing the ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Rockford gets green light for construction February 11, 2021 - The Illinois Gaming Board voted unanimously last week to allow construction of the Hard Rock Casino Rockford to move forward. The board found "preliminary suitability" for the ... Read more

2019

Choctaw casino plan for suburban Chicago receives unanimous local approval October 26, 2019 - The Matteson Village Board of Trustees voted 6-0 to approve the Choctaw casino proposal to build a $300 million casino hotel in suburban Chicago. ... Read more

Five tribes propose building commercial casinos in Illinois October 25, 2019 - Five tribes have proposed building new casinos in Illinois under the Rebuild Illinois Act including the Choctaw Nation (OK), Potawatomi (WI), Poarch Creek (AL), Ho-Chunk Nation (WI), and ... Read more

Choctaw Nation proposes suburban Chicago casino October 24, 2019 - Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has proposed a $300M casino, hotel and conference center to the Matteson Village Board near Chicago, Illinois. The 123,000-sq-ft casino would feature ... Read more

Wisconsin Tribe Proposes Suburban Chicago Casino October 17, 2019 - The Wisconsin Ho-Chunk Nation proposes a $300M casino and hotel in south suburban Lynwood. The proposed location is 120 acres owned by the tribe and located east of Illinois 394 ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino is approved by Rockford City Council October 12, 2019 - Rockford City Council selected Hard Rock International over two other proposals as Rockford's single applicant for state licensing. Hard Rock will build a $310M casino with 65,000-sq-ft ... Read more

Alabama Tribe Proposes Casino in South Suburbs of Chicago October 8, 2019 - Wind Creek Hospitality, the gaming and hospitality company of Alabama's Poarch Creek Indians, has proposed a $275M casino in the suburbs of East Hazel Crest and Homewood ... Read more

Forest City Casino Proposal September 23, 2019 - The third applicant for a Rockford casino license proposes a $500M casino, hotel and entertainment complex in Forest City. It would include a golf entertainment center, waterpark and family fun center. ... Read more

Potawatomi Apply for Waukegan Casino License August 6, 2019 - Potawatomi Hotel and Casino filed an application yesterday with the City of Waukegan, Illinois to build a commercial casino and entertainment venue under the Rebuild Illinois Law enacted last June. ... Read more

Second Proposal for Rockford Casino July 29, 2019 - A downtown casino and entertainment complex including an aquarium is proposed by Rock River West Casino Group, a local partnership with developer Gorman & Company, ... Read more

Hard Rock Casino Proposed for Rockford IL July 17, 2019 - Hard Rock International is the first to announce their plan to build a casino in Rockford, IL. It includes a casino, an entertainment and music venue, restaurants, retail stores and a hotel. ... Read more

Ho-Chunk Nation's casino plan for Beloit gets challenge from Rockford IL July 5, 2019 - As the Beloit tribal casino awaits a federal go-ahead decision, Illinois has enacted a massive gambling expansion bill that will bring a casino to Rockford, IL. ... Read more

Illinois Authorizes Sports Betting & Six New Casinos June 29, 2019 - Illinois Gov. Pritzker has signed into law a $45B infrastructure bill that includes a massive gambling across the state. The new law legalizes sports betting, authorizes six new casinos, adds ... Read more

2018

Illinois lawmakers consider adding 6 new casinos May 28, 2018 - Illinois lawmakers are discussing a proposed measure to allow six new casinos in the state. ... Read more