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Hard Rock Casino Rockford became the 13th permanent casino to open its doors in Illinois on Thursday and the fourth of six that is part of the 2019 gaming expansion bill Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law.
Hard Rock was the first of the six new licensees to open a temporary casino in November 2021, which it dubbed "An Opening Act." The $350 million permanent casino adjacent to Interstate 90 in Rockford is approximately 90 miles northwest of Chicago and 70 miles south of Madison, Wisc.
The 175,000-square-foot venue features nearly 1,300 slot machines, 50 table games, a poker room with six tables, a retail sportsbook and seven restaurants, including the iconic Hard Rock Cafe. It also has a 1,600-seat Hard Rock Live entertainment venue that will be in use throughout Labor Day weekend to celebrate the opening. Akon will be the first musician to perform there in concert on Friday, followed by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Joan Jett and The Blackhearts on Saturday, and country star Brad Paisley on Sunday.
In a nod to Cheap Trick lead guitarist and casino minority owner Rick Nielsen's Rockford roots, the universally known Hard Rock guitar seen outside the front of the casino is in the style of a Flying V with a checkerboard motif. Nielsen also donated a sizable portion of his vast array of guitars and outfits to Hard Rock Casino Rockford, which can be seen throughout the casino and in the pre-concert area of Hard Rock Live.
"It's an incredible feeling to finally welcome guests to Hard Rock Casino Rockford," said Geno Iafrate, President of Hard Rock Casino Rockford. "We've worked tirelessly to bring this world-class facility to life, and we're excited to offer guests a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience right here in Rockford."
A Civic Victory Lap 30-Plus Years in the Making
While Rockford was designated as one of the six locations to be given a new casino license in Pritzker's gaming expansion bill that also legalized sports betting more than five years ago — Hard Rock also opened its retail sportsbook at the casino Thursday after launching its mobile product Hard Rock Bet on Monday — the lobbying to get a casino license began more than three decades ago. Everyone who came to the dais offered praise to long-time Illinois State Sen. Dave Syverson, who has served in Rockford's district since 1993.
It was Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara who made the breakthrough with Pritzker to get Rockford among those locations for new licenses, and the governor was quick to share credit after both did the ceremonial guitar smash to christen the new casino.
"Every time I come to Rockford it seems, or most times anyway, we've been able to announce new jobs, new investment," said Pritzker, "bringing capital to this area and really changing the trajectory of Rockford over the last five-and-a-half, six years.
"I was lucky enough when I came into office, you already had a great mayor and somebody who wanted to do all those things. So when you're a governor and you've got a partner at the local level who really wants economic development, jobs and growth, there's nothing better than that."
McNamara pointed out that more than 400 Rockford-area high school graduates were able to continue their education at nearby Northern Illinois University in DeKalb in part due to Hard Rock's civic efforts, and he was effusive in his praise of the gaming company for living up to its promises made during the courtship process.
"You think about the decades of people fighting for this and then they get to walk through this, we got to see it Monday night," said McNamara, referring to Monday night's VIP event held at the casino. I mean, every single person — I promise you, a lot of people who did not vote for me and will never vote for me — came up and said, 'This is just amazing.' They did such an amazing job and you look at all the finishes to it … just every aspect they brought world-class to this facility here."
A Head Start Vs. Ho-Chunk
Two key parts of Pritzker's gaming expansion bill were to expand tourism and keep casino gaming tax revenue in-state. He expressed pleasure in Hard Rock being able to open in Rockford ahead of Ho-Chunk Nation, which has plans to build a casino across the state line in Beloit, Wisc., approximately 20 miles to the north. The governor also noted that such tourist draws also wind up extending economic benefits to local businesses as people stay in those areas when visiting.
Both the temporary casino in downtown Chicago and one set to open later this year in suburban Cook County operated by Wind Creek are expected to compete against the trio of casinos in Northwest Indiana, one of which is operated by Hard Rock in Gary.
