Hard Rock Rockford had a huge debut at its new permanent casino, jumping from ninth to second in Illinois in both gaming revenue and visitors during its first full month.
The sprawling entertainment complex generated $13.7 million in adjusted gross receipts and drew more than 157,000 visitors for September, topping every casino in the state but perennial leader Rivers Casino Des Plaines, according to data released Tuesday by the Illinois Gaming Board.
Geno Iafrate, president of Hard Rock Casino Rockford, said the meteoric monthly rise was in the cards.
“We had no expectations of jumping over Rivers — that’s a pretty tall order,” Iafrate said. “But to be honest, we fully expected to move into second place. Our first full month of operations was very successful.”
Hard Rock opened the $300 million,175,000-square-foot facility Aug. 29 after nearly three years in temporary digs, putting on the glitz for Rockford with nearly 1,300 slot machines, 50 live table games, a sportsbook and a 1,600-seat concert venue. The gaming positions essentially doubled, new restaurants opened and the entertainment space “exponentially” boosted visitation from outside the Rockford area, drawing from Wisconsin and Chicago, Iafrate said.
Bolstered by September concerts featuring Brad Paisley, Teddy Swims and Brian McKnight, the new Rockford venue, located on the site of the former Clock Tower Resort off I-90, leapfrogged every Chicago-area casino but Rivers, nearly tripling its business over the previous month.
In August, the Hard Rock closed out its temporary facility with $5.7 million in adjusted gross receipts and 57,000 visitors, both metrics placing it in the middle of the pack among the state’s 15 casinos.
Going from 300 parking spaces at the temporary facility to 2,100 at the permanent casino didn’t hurt either, Iafrate said.
“Parking is a big deal, ” he said.
Florida-based Hard Rock International operates 16 casinos, including Rockford and Gary locations. It was one of three finalists to build the Chicago casino, but its bid to build a $1.74 billion facility at One Central, the stalled mixed-use megadevelopment proposed near Soldier Field, lost out to Bally’s in May 2022 after a yearlong vetting process during the Lightfoot administration.
Bally’s Chicago opened a temporary facility at Medinah Temple in September 2023 and is building its permanent casino on the 30-acre Tribune Publishing printing plant site in River North. The $1.7 billion proposal includes an exhibition hall, a 500-room hotel, a 3,000-seat theater, 10 restaurants and 4,000 gaming positions, making it the largest casino in the state.
Tribune Publishing relocated printing operations in May to the former Daily Herald plant in Schaumburg.
In August, Bally’s held a ceremonial demolition of the 43-year-old Freedom Center to begin making way for the casino complex, which is slated to open in September 2026.
Last month, Bally’s generated $10.3 million in adjusted gross receipts with nearly 121,000 admissions, ranking third in the state in both categories. Rivers Casino maintained its position as the top-grossing and busiest location with $41.5 million in adjusted gross receipts and more than 247,000 visitors in September, according to Gaming Board data.
For Bally’s, which saw its revenue and admissions slip a little in September, the boost in Hard Rock’s business after opening the permanent facility is certainly promising.
“Bally’s outperformed most of its competitors, but the AGR dipped slightly in September compared to August,” a Bally’s spokesperson said Tuesday. “Bally’s continues to demonstrate growth in gaming and visitation, creating excitement in River North and enthusiasm about our future permanent facility.”
rchannick@chicagotribune.com
