Hard Rock Opening Act to close Aug. 12 in preparation for permanent casino’s grand opening
Hard Rock Casino Rockford will close its temporary facility at 5 a.m. Aug. 12 as the company prepares for the Aug. 29 grand opening of its permanent location.
The temporary casino, located at 610 N. Bell School Road, opened in November 2021 as Hard Rock prepared to begin construction on the permanent site: 7801 E. State St., once home to the Clock Tower Resort.
Crews broke ground for the permanent casino in September 2022. When it opens over Labor Day weekend, the new location will offer patrons almost 1,300 slot machines, 50 live table games, a sportsbook, restaurants and live entertainment.
The arrival of Hard Rock in Rockford follows a yearslong push to bring a casino to Rockford.
Proponents — including the Rockford Chamber of Commerce, Rockford Mayor Tom MacNamara, and prospective casino developers — have billed the effort as a way to draw visitors and tax dollars to the city.
The temporary casino collected more than $69 million in revenue in 2023, its second and last full year of operation, and hit a single-month revenue record in March this year. In 2023, the site employed more than 350 casino workers.
“The Opening Act has welcomed over 1.5 million guests from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 30 countries worldwide since opening its doors in November of 2021,” Geno Iafrate, the president of Hard Rock Casino Rockford, said in a press release announcing the temporary casino’s closure. “The time has come for the Opening Act to become the headliner just down the street.”
Tilly Robinson is a summer reporting intern with the Gannett/USA Today Network at the Rockford Register Star. She can be reached via email at [email protected] and on X @tillyrobin.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Hard Rock temporary site to close before permanent casino’s opening
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