Rockford Casino brings in more than $4M in first three weeks of being open
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ROCKFORD (WREX) — We're learning more about how much Rockford's temporary casino is doing so far.
The temporary casino opened at the beginning of November at the old Giovanni's restaurant on N. Bell School Rd.
The Illinois Gaming Board released revenue numbers for casinos across the state for November.
In the 22 days the casino was open in November, it generated $4,145,967.91 in revenue.
The temporary casino must pay $497,870.80 to the state in taxes and an additional $248,935.40 to the City of Rockford in taxes.
Rockford's temporary casino is the only casino in the state to not have table games. Despite that, the casino was in the middle of the pack when it came to admissions. Rockford's casino saw 41,637 people come through the door in November, ranking 7th in the state for the month.
Rockford's casino features more than 625 of the newest slots and electronic table games.
In June of 2019, Gov. JB Pritzker signed the gaming expansion bill into law, opening the door for six areas in Illinois to open casinos—including Rockford.
In October of 2019, city leaders voted in favor of a plan from Hard Rock International to submit to the Illinois Gaming Board.
The decision to approve or deny the project was supposed to be made by October of 2020, but was pushed back six months due to COVID-19.
In June of 2020, the casino's temporary location got the green light from the IGB to begin construction inside the former Giovanni's Restaurant and Convention Center.
The temporary casino will be open for up to two years while the permanent location is being built at the former Clock Tower site off E. State St., near the I-90 exit/entrance ramp.
