Hard Rock Casino Rockford Found ‘Preliminary Suitable’ By IGB

Written By Joe Boozell on February 4, 2021

The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) declared the Hard Rock Casino Rockford project as a significant advancement in the effort to establish an 11th casino in Illinois on Thursday afternoon.

During the special session, IGB Administrator Marcus Fruchter emphasized to guests that being in the preliminary stage does not guarantee a certificate.

Hard Rock is nearing approval to begin construction on the game and order gaming machines, although final approval is still pending.

Last week, representatives from Hard Rock and 815 Entertainment delivered a presentation to the board.

Fruchter alluded to a separate investigation involving a key figure from Hard Rock. He advised 815 Entertainment to quickly and willingly respond to inquiries from the IGB, as per his statement.

Dan Fischer, who is he?

The IGB is currently conducting an investigation on Dan Fischer, a crucial member of the development team.

Fischer manages the chain of slot machine parlors known as Dotty’s, which is owned by Illinois Cafe & Service Co. The company has been accused of acquiring a second set of parlors in 2018 through a deal that has been disputed in court as fraudulent.

The investigation into Fischer is ongoing, and the IGB has not yet taken any disciplinary actions.

Joe Miller, the spokesperson for the gaming board, stated that the situation could go in any direction. He made this statement prior to today’s special session, saying, “We do not provide comments on potential, current, or ongoing investigations.”

What we know about the Hard Rock is Here & rsquo.

The Hard Rock Casino will be situated in Rockford, the fifth largest city in Illinois.

It is situated approximately ninety minutes northwest of Chicago.

The casino will feature a gaming area spanning 64,000 square feet and is expected to generate more than 1,000 full-time and part-time jobs once it opens.

In addition to gaming space, the plan includes a 1,600-seat entertainment venue. If approved, Hard Rock also intends to temporarily operate a gaming establishment.

The suggested site is located at the junction of I-90 and State Street, with an estimated 65,000 cars passing by daily.

Hard Rock International, a renowned casino chain, currently operates 11 casinos and 29 hotels worldwide.

The plan specifies that the casino will guarantee a minimum monthly payment of $7 million to the city of Rockford.

Are there any additional games in Illinois?

Since Governor JB Pritzker signed it into law, the 2019 gaming expansion bill allowing for the development of six new casinos in different parts of Illinois has been moving forward at a sluggish pace.

The majority of development teams submitted their initial applications in October 2019, but the board has already determined that this will be the inaugural casino.

The game now includes six areas, with Rockford being one of the new additions.

Chicago
County of Williamson
cities in the north
Waukegan
Danville

At the moment, license applications are still pending for Williamson County, Waukegan, and the southern suburbs.

The IGB superintendent, Marcus Fruchter, has indicated that a preliminary suitability determination for these applicants may be available by April.

The following individuals are currently being considered for game licenses:

Waukegan License is held by Full House Resorts, Inc. and American Place.
Lakeside Casino LLC (Waukegan License) operates the North Point Casino.
Southland LIVE, LLC, doing business under the South Suburban License, also commonly referred to as Live & Co.
South Suburban Development, LLC is licensed to build a suburban community.
The Williamson County License for Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort, LLC
South Suburban License held by Wind Creek, LLC.

On the other hand, Chicago and Danville have advanced more than any of the other teams.

The Chicago casino project is moving at a sluggish pace, as it has yet to secure a location and operator.

However, we acknowledge that Danville will be branded with the Golden Nugget name. Despite this, they have not yet submitted materials to the IGB, and we are well aware of the lengthy process that typically follows such submissions.