Hollywood Casino Aurora is making the move from surf to turf, and the ceremonial first shovels will hit said turf on Wednesday afternoon.

Located on the Fox River in Aurora, Illinois, as a riverboat casino since 1993, Hollywood Casino is preparing to move to its new location on land adjacent to the Chicago Premium Outlets thanks to an Illinois law signed in 2019 that allowed for riverboat casinos to relocate to the land. Owner PENN Entertainment announced Tuesday that the groundbreaking ceremony for the new hotel, casino, and entertainment facility will take place Wednesday at 2:45 p.m. CT.

“We are thrilled to soon begin construction on a new, state-of-the-art Hollywood Casino Aurora,” said PENN Entertainment CEO and President Jay Snowden in a press release. “Our tremendous and long-lasting partnership with the City of Aurora has provided an opportunity to relocate our property to an ideal location that will significantly improve our offerings and further our positive economic impact on the community.”

The new facility is anticipated to cost $360 million, and PENN estimates construction will take approximately 24 months. The project is expected to create roughly 700 construction jobs and 700 permanent jobs — about twice as many people as the riverboat location employs.

License good for three more years

At the same time this relocation was first announced, in October 2022, PENN said it would be moving the slightly smaller Hollywood Casino Joliet onto dry land as well. Two months later, in December, the Illinois Gaming Board voted unanimously to renew the Hollywood Casino Aurora license for a period of four years, running through December 2026.

The new casino will have an estimated 1,200 gaming positions (table games and slots), 220 guest rooms, a retail sportsbook, an outdoor entertainment area, a spa, and a 12,000-square-foot event center. The existing riverboat version of Hollywood Casino Aurora will remain open and operational until construction is complete.

Total revenue at the property has been down 2.3% year-over-year thus far, from $83.8 million in 2022 to $81.9 million in 2023. But table games revenue is up 4.1%.

PENN has invited assorted local leaders, including the mayor of Aurora and members of the Illinois Gaming Board and Illinois General Assembly, to Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony.

PENN recently launched its rebranded online sportsbook, ESPN BET, in 17 states, including Illinois. Its online casino app is not available in the state, however, as Illinois is not among the seven jurisdictions that have legalized that gambling option.

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