While Rockford’s temporary Hard Rock Casino presents new employment opportunities, it creates problems for local businesses. Rockford’s restaurants and bars are currently suffering from staffing shortages as their employees take jobs at Hard Rock.
For example, Mr. C’s Family Restaurant, which opened in 1999, has lost several employees in the last few weeks. Rockford restaurants also expect to lose more employees once the casino opens for business.
However, some local business owners feel that in the long run, the casino will increase tourism to the area which will benefit all businesses. They’re hoping to build a relationship with the casino that could benefit all local businesses.
But right now, Hard Rock is drawing workers away from existing businesses in Rockford, leaving them short-staffed.
To open the temporary casino, the Hard Rock is hiring 250 employees, which the casino calls “band members”. Unfortunately, currently employed Rockford residents are opting for employment at Hard Rock, rather than those currently collecting unemployment.
The $310 million dollar casino project will create 1,000 construction jobs will ultimately employ 1,200 Rockford residents in permanent positions. Hard Rock is also taking vendor applications from the surrounding community for the services and products it will need.
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Will the Temporary Casino Be Open in Time for Halloween?
The temporary Hard Rock Casino, dubbed A Hard Rock Opening Act, could open in late October. It’s still undergoing an $8.8 million renovation of Giovanni’s Restaurant and Convention Center. It will feature two restaurants and 736 slot machines. Hard Rock plans to operate the temporary casino for around two years as the permanent casino, Hard Rock Live venue, and the rest of the campus is built at the site of the former Clock Tower Resort.
Employment Situation in Rockford Improving
In August 2020, Rockford had a very high unemployment rate of 10.9%. But by August 2021, that figure had fallen to 8.3%. By comparison, the unemployment rate in Rockford for August 2019 was only 5.5%. Slowly but surely, the unemployment caused by the lockdowns is slowly on the mend.
The largest increase in unemployment last year was in the leisure and hospitality industries, which were hardest hit by the lockdowns.
The unemployment office in Rockford only reopened last month, following Governor J.B. Pritzker’s closure of all Illinois Department of Employment Security offices in March 2020. Up until the reopening, non-essential workers were subjected to an automated phone system that left them on hold for hours, and a website that sometimes crashed.
In May 2021, Pritzker said that threats and security concerns were the reason why the unemployment offices remained closed. He also stated that the Department of Employment Security was working with state police to devise a safe reopening plan. The main safety concern appeared to be “social distancing”. Gladly, state unemployment offices have reopened, just as businesses begin to hire more workers.
Rockford Video Gaming Terminal Revenue Could be Affected
The new casino is not the only game in town when it comes to gambling in Rockford. The city currently has 525 video gaming terminals throughout the city. Only Springfield leads Rockford in the number of video gaming terminals.
It’s unknown how many players will be drawn to the new Hard Rock Casino and away from Rockford’s video gaming terminals. Operators were already hard-hit by COVID-19 restrictions, as were the small business owners hosting the machines. Now, the temporary casino with hundreds of slot machines could further reduce that income.
Rockford Students Will Benefit from Casino Taxes
Rockford expects to collect $1.5 million in tax revenues from the temporary casino for 2022.
That money will help fund Rockford Promise scholarships for Rockford Public School graduates to attend Northern Illinois University. The scholarships will be open to students who graduate with at least a 3.0 GPA.
Rockford civic and business leaders back the program. They feel it could ultimately improve the quality of the region’s workforce as well as make Rockford more attractive to new residents and businesses.
Decades in the Works
Rockford community leaders have worked for decades to bring a casino to their city. Their efforts were ultimately rewarded with a world-class casino resort from a globally recognized brand.
Rockford’s 38-year-old mayor, Tom McNamara, remembers getting ready for school as a child and reading newspaper headlines about community leaders pushing for a casino.
McNamara is confident that Hard Rock will prove to be a strong long-term partner to the city. So far, McNamara says, Hard Rock has not only delivered on its promises but also exceeded the city’s expectations. The mayor expects that the casino resort will have a far-reaching and long-lasting benefit to the city of 145,000 residents.
