- Hard Rock Sportsbook has submitted applications for a retail and online sports betting license to the Illinois Gaming Board.
- The move comes as the Florida-based company is about to break ground on the permanent Hard Rock Casino Rockford project this week.
- Currently, it is operating a temporary casino called Rockford Casino: A Hard Rock Opening Act at the same venue.
With a handful of sports betting operators already entering the scene, Hard Rock Sportsbook has applied for a legal sports betting license in Illinois.
According to the Illinois Gaming Board website, Hard Rock Sportsbook is seeking both retail and online sports betting licenses. The application was submitted last August 23 by 815 Entertainment, the local ownership group of the Hard Rock Casino Rockford. The website indicates 815 Entertainment’ status as an “applicant” which means that it has submitted the complete requirements and is merely awaiting approval from the IGB.
Seminole Hard Rock previously applied for a Management Services Provider permit, which is needed to operate mobile sports betting in the state. That application was submitted earlier, last August 16th.
One Step Closer
ONE STEP CLOSER: The groundbreaking ceremony for Hard Rock Casino Rockford will take place next week. https://t.co/VheAHDDI7T
— 23 WIFR (@23WIFR) September 21, 2022
The application follows Hard Rock’s announcement that it would break ground on the permanent casino project this Wednesday. The groundbreaking comes 10 months after the company opened a temporary casino at the venue. Dubbed Rockford Casino: A Hard Rock Opening Act, the interim project cost $8 million to build and has 21,000 square feet of gaming space. The temporary casino offers more than 600 slot machines and table games.
Rockford Casino: A Hard Rock Opening Act is expected to operate for two years or until the permanent structure is ready to open its doors to the public. Although construction will begin this week, the owners have not announced an official opening date for the 65,000-square-foot permanent casino which will feature a Hard Rock Cafe and a 1,600-seat live entertainment venue. A second phase of the project will see the construction of a 250-room hotel. The construction phase will create 1,000 temporary jobs while 1,200 permanent jobs will be generated once the casino is open.
Last month, Hard Rock officials also disclosed plans to put up a retail sportsbook inside the temporary casino. The planned sportsbook is expected to be ready before the end of the year in preparation for Super Bowl LVII on February 12, 2023. That proposal, however, is still subject to approval and licensing from state regulators.
Product of Illinois Gaming Expansion Bill
Governor Pritzker signs Illinois gaming expansion bill https://t.co/EsdP10Wu9s pic.twitter.com/MCXZef60QB
— Gaming Intelligence (@GamingIntell) July 1, 2019
The Hard Rock Casino Rockford came to fruition after Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law the state’s Gaming Expansion Bill in 2019. That bill paved the way for the construction of six new casinos in different areas, including Rockford. City officials picked Hard Rock from a list of applicants. The Illinois Gaming Board was supposed to approve the project in October 2020 but the process was delayed due to the pandemic.
In June of last year, the Board approved the owners’ proposal to put up a temporary gaming facility while the permanent casino is being constructed. One month later, it green-lighted a series of key businesses, executives, managers, and owners needed to operate the casino. The temporary casino finally opened last November.
Rockford’s temporary casino has been doing well, to say the least. Last July, the Illinois Gaming Board revealed that the interim venue made more than $30 million in revenues during its first six months of operations, while also paying a total of $1.8 million in taxes during that span. Last July, the casino also set a record with 45,000 visitors during the month, its most since it launched in November 2020. That performance was an indicator of the casino’s resilience amidst the economic struggles. Visitor number dropped to 37,000 during May and June 2022 after peaking at 40,000 in April.
