The price tag for Hard Rock comes in at a little over $300 million. In nearby Beloit, just 30 minutes away and across the Wisconsin border, the Ho-Chunk Nation is building a $405 million casino and some observers think the first to cross the finish line will enjoy a long-term greenfield advantage. The 65,000-square-foot casino floor is expected to hold 1,500 slot machines and 55 gaming tables with dealer and croupier-assisted games like blackjack, roulette, and craps.Īdditional amenities in the cards for the Hard Rock casino in Rockford include a Hard Rock Café, a 1,600-seat Hard Rock Live venue, a mix of 3 restaurants, and a 15,000-square-foot concert seating area. However, the full build-out which will include a hotel in Phase II is still some three years away. The new permanent casino will replace the temporary, “Rockford Casino: A Hard Rock Opening Act”, on Bell School Rd by September 2023 according to some reports. The shovels were turned at the casino’s permanent location near the entrance of Interstate 90 on East State Street.
About three years after the Illinois legislature passed a bill approving Hard Rock Casino Rockford, the ground was broken last Wednesday by Hard Rock representatives and city officials in a much-anticipated ceremony.
