May 17, 2024
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Hollywood Casino in Joliet to break ground on new site at I-55/ I-80 site

Groundbreaking marks start for anchor project at Rock Run Collection

By Bob Okon
Penn Entertainment Inc. announced on Monday that it will relocate the Joliet Hollywood Casino to Rock Run Crossings development near the I-80 and I-55 interchange.

Penn Entertainment Inc. will break ground Wednesday on a new site for its Hollywood Casino in Joliet. (Gary Middendorf - gmiddendorf@shawmedia.com/Gary Middendorf)

Penn Entertainment will hold a groundbreaking Wednesday for its future Hollywood Casino site in Joliet.

The company on Thursday announced that it will break ground for the $185 million project at the Rock Run Collection site being developed at the crossing of Interstates 55 and 80.

Rock Run Collection is planned as a multi-use development that will include entertainment, residences, retail, restaurants and other development at the 309-acre site.

Penn National on Thursday said the Joliet project is a land-based casino that will be an anchor tenant for Rock Run Collection.

Cullinan Properties, the East Peoria-based company that is developing Rock Run Collection, has announced two other projects planned for the site.

One would be a Regal Cinema movie theater, which was announced in 2019 but for which construction has not started.

The other is a plan for 570 apartments on the site.

The development also has included warehouse development on its east end.

Hollywood Casino is located off Route 6 along the Des Plaines River. The site originally was developed by a local business group as the Empress Casino, which opened in 1992 at a time that Illinois required that casinos be tied to riverboat operations.

The state since has changed gambling regulations to allow land-based casinos.