Joliet City administration recently approved a proposal that had been placed before them concerning the creation of a new casino in Hollywood. The project which has been earmarked to stand at Rock Run Crossings is expected to begin by the end of 2023. According to a press briefing that was issued in October by Penn Entertainment, the move to set up a new gambling destination was inspired by the need to relocate its existing riverboat casino to the Rock Run Crossings area. This is already public news and it has already sparked a wave of anticipation among bettors in the target location.
By the time the entire development is completed, the estimated size of the budget that will have gone into it is $185 million. The company addressed the plans for the construction in a statement made last year. At that time, the company revealed that the venue will comprise a modern casino that will have a floor space large enough to accommodate 45 live tables and 800 slots. Lovers of Baccarat have been largely considered because the floor plan will include a baccarat room.
As part of the Joliet project, a Barstool sportsbook will be included in addition to high-end restaurants and bars. The interiors are anticipated to captivate interior design enthusiasts for their functionality and appearance. There will be approximately 10,000 square feet of space dedicated to meeting areas and an area that will be dedicated to events.
Right next to the location where the casino will be constructed is a 570-unit apartment complex that the city approved last year. These adjacent plots will collectively form a multi-use development that will offer residents and guests a place they can live, work, shop, and play, without leaving the locality. The two properties sit on a 309-acre plot near the crossing of Interstates 55 and 80.
During a state of the city speech delivered by Mayor Bob O’Dekirk for the people of Hollywood, emphasis was placed on the important role that the choice destination plays in growing the online casino industry in Illinois. He revealed that there has been effort going on to get Hollywood out of Joliet so as to even out the growth of the city. Based on the cited source from where the story broke the potential of gambling to grow a city is well known and being tapped by those who have projected the future of their business.
Cullinana Properties has been contracted as the developers in this project and they have since described the project as a “super-regional” level attraction. This came about because they saw the project`s ability to attract people from areas beyond where it has been established. Its location at an interstate crossing is central for many people who live around Chicago to central Illinois. For as long as it maintains the status quo, this casino will serve a huge role as an income generator.
There is another commercial project that has also been granted approval to run operations from the same site that has been given to the Joliet casino project is a cinemas movie theatre under the Regal brand. The construction of the theatre facility was announced for the first time in 2019 but nothing has happened since because the parent company of the cinema brand slipped into bankruptcy a short while after the announcement was made.
Ultimately, it is important to note that the Rock Run Crossings will include office buildings, hotels, restaurants and stores. Although none of these has been landed at the present moment, it is almost a guarantee that there will be a hotel within the casino. The nature of the license issued to the casino management includes preliminary, final and even recording plans of the Hollywood Casino. With these licenses already in the hands of those who applied for them, the next move is to break ground and proceed without further consultation.
Location is an important factor in business because it will play a big role in visibility and access by clients. Rock Run Crossings is an excellent location for setting up a casino business because it is an intersection of two streets. Everyone on either street has a clear view of the front of the business and the graphics are enough to draw them nearer to the action. If the management will invest heavily in branding and captivating outside décor, there is no reason why a business should not be a boom for them.
The new home of Hollywood Casino is going to expose the business and make it easy even for random players to pop in. in its current location off Route 6; it gets direct benefit from what can only be termed as the industrial corridor of Joliet. Gambling enthusiasts are always eager to explore new premises and Joliet is not likely to be any different. For the first weeks after it is launched, the management can expect to encounter new business from curious players.
Did you know that there was a time when it was prestigious for casinos to be constructed in riverboats? This is the era in which the casino was launched – at a location along river Des Plaines. The trend has since faded and the state now allows operators to move away from the water. Another establishment that is changing address is Penn Entertainment which is in the process of moving its Hollywood Casino Aurora off the Fox River downtown to another location in that city off Interstate 88.
Final Thoughts
Like any other business, casinos operate for the sole purpose of making money. It is therefore alright for investors to reconsider their initial choice of location among many other parameters. The challenge is to shift to prime locations because someone else has probably seen it too. Such locations are prime and have various other supporting and supplementary businesses around them.
