The gaming expansion bill allowed for casinos in six new locations throughout the state, with the planned Bally’s downtown casino and one by Wind Creek currently under construction in suburban Cook County as the closest to PENN’s existing Aurora and Joliet venues. Illinois currently has 11 casinos in operation, including Hard Rock’s temporary facility in Rockford. One of the provisions of the 2019 gaming expansion bill that legalized sports wagering in the state also removed the requirement that casinos be confined to water. PENN Entertainment announced Monday it will be relocating its Illinois casinos in Aurora and Joliet to land-based locations and constructing new hotels at properties in Ohio and Nevada.īoth Illinois casinos are within 50 miles of Chicago, where Bally’s submitted its application to operate a casino in the downtown area earlier this year.
