A vendor fair meeting was held yesterday in Rockford, Illinois to give local businesses an opportunity to learn more about the Hard Rock Casino that is coming to town. A temporary casino is planned while the permanent location is being constructed and local vendors can partner with the temporary property as part of the installation.
The meeting revealed that the temporary set-up will open in October. Several developers, investors, and CEOs will be working to bring the temporary space to life. A team was assigned to the property and the Illinois Gaming Board approve the members, and at the same time, approved licensing for suppliers.
Race Against Time
State Senator Dave Syverson commented that as the temporary space is being constructed, the only thing left to do is to see the gaming board visit the site and approve the games and setup. This process will be completed before the grand opening takes pl 7BALL ace.
According to the senator, it’s a race against time, as Beloit just needs approval from the federal government to open a HoChunk Nation operated casino. The Hard Rock Casino Rockford will be able to give the venue a little competition once its open due to the brand name recognition.
Syverson said that it’s good news to see the temporary site opening before 2021 comes to an end, as it puts the venue ahead of the game. Then the process boils down to how quickly the permanent site can be approved and constructed. It seems that may be two years away.
Blueprints of the permanent space must be approved by Rockford officials as well as the state gaming board. Officials are hopeful that the process will move forward quickly.
Temporary Casino Approval
It wasn’t until late June that 815 Entertainment LLC, a local investment group, was approved to begin the construction of a temporary casino in Rockford. The approval came just two weeks after the board had approved the list of investors and signed off for the permanent location.
The temporary space will be located at Giovanni’s Restaurant and Convention Center and will include 8,500 square feet of gambling space. As many as 750 slot games will be added. The temporary space will allow the Hard Rock to offer services before the permanent location is ready for business.
The permanent spot is located near the temporary location and will include a much larger, 65,000 square foot gaming floor. The property will cost $310 million to construct and will feature 1,500 slot games and over 50 gaming tables.
