Deputy Editor
A planned move from a riverboat to a land-based facility for Hollywood Casino Aurora will see the poker room left behind.
The Chicago-area casino is set to open on June 24, leaving mere weeks until the poker room’s closure.
Not much information is publicly available about the current poker room. Its Bravo Poker Live page is sparse, mentioning only a handful of regular games and promotions. Locals say the room rarely has more than three tables running.
According to an individual working in the room who spoke to PokerScout, the remaining poker promotional money will be paid out in some fashion. Gaming law typically mandates that all promotional money go back to the players before poker rooms close. The room’s Bravo page says more than $37,000 is in the pool, so players should keep an eye out for redistribution plans soon.
The closure of Hollywood Casino Aurora’s poker room follows the trend of consolidation in the Chicago suburbs. Hollywood Casino Joliet and Harrah’s Joliet have also permanently closed their poker rooms.
Rivers Des Plaines has become the dominant poker hotspot in the Chicago area, with Caesars Grand Victoria also playing a major role by hosting popular World Series of Poker Circuit stops.
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Hollywood Casino Aurora is a Relic From a Different Time
Hollywood Casino Aurora is among the lowest-grossing casinos in the Chicago metro area. It’s located in the far western suburbs, about an hour from downtown. The dated riverboat setup, a relic of 1990s state gaming law, has been surpassed by more modern land-based facilities.
As Hollywood Casino Aurora has aged since 1993, popular new casinos have popped up in more enviable locations. Illinois passed legislation in 2019 that cleared the way for land-based gambling.
Rivers Des Plaines, in a prime spot near the O’Hare Airport, is easily the most lucrative. It’s pulling in around $500 million per year in gross gaming revenue, clearing its nearest competition by more than double.
Bally’s River West will be the closest to downtown, but it isn’t slated to open until the second half of 2027.
Penn National, which owns the Hollywood brand, will hope the move to a modern facility enables it to compete on more even terms. The new land-based Hollywood property will feature a similarly-sized gaming setup. However, it boasts many more non-gaming amenities, such as celebrity chef restaurants, a hotel, a spa, and an event center.
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