The Aurora City Council has approved special rules around the sale of liquor and other alcohol at the new Hollywood Casino resort, which is still under construction.
The Farnsworth Bilter Entertainment District, which only includes the casino and resort site, has its own unique liquor licenses that restaurants, bars and other locations within the casino can apply for. These licenses are different than others given by the city, for instance, by allowing patrons to take their drinks with them if they stroll to another part of the resort.
The new location of Hollywood Casino-Aurora — located along Farnsworth Avenue and Bilter Road, across the street from Chicago Premium Outlets mall and near the Interstate 88 interchange — will replace the casino currently in downtown. Construction officially broke ground in November 2023 and is expected to be complete in June.
Alcohol is set to be sold at five different locations within the main casino: at a sports bar in the sportsbook, at the main O Bar, at the Asian restaurant Red Lotus, at the entertainment bar to be called “& Vine” and on the casino floor itself.
Also expected to seek liquor licenses are the VIP lounge, the social hall, and the hotel and spa.
Three different types of liquor licenses will be available for the casino: a general on-site license to cover things like bars and restaurants, a specialty on-site license for in-room mini-bars and room service within the hotel, and a package sales license for a convenience store within the hotel.
The latter two are a bit different than what the city typically offers, Aurora City Clerk Jennifer Stallings has said. For example, the city’s other package sales license does not allow people to drink the alcohol they buy in packages on-site — they generally have to take it home.
Per state law, the 24-hour gaming floor will be allowed to sell alcohol from 9:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. Other parts of the resort will need to follow the city’s allowed hours, which change based on the day but are broadly from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. or 2 a.m.
The liquor licenses within the proposed district will also be eligible for two “endorsements,” which are like special additions to the license.
The “strolling” endorsement would allow people to take the drinks they buy at one part of the casino resort to another, including to enclosed patio spaces and an outdoor venue. The other endorsement would allow the on-site spa to offer packages that include up to two drinks.
The entertainment district for the new Hollywood Casino Aurora was approved by the Aurora City Council on Tuesday through the meeting’s consent agenda, which is typically reserved for routine or non-controversial items that are all approved with a single vote. So, it was not discussed at the meeting.
The casino and resort is expected to have 1,200 gaming positions, about 220 hotel rooms, a retail sportsbook, an outdoor entertainment area, a full-service spa, a roughly 12,000-square-foot event center with meeting areas and a number of bars and restaurants.
PENN Entertainment, which is Hollywood Casino’s parent company, announced last week that the new casino is set to open on June 24, less than a year after Joliet’s land-based Hollywood Casino opened in August 2025. Details about the new Hollywood Casino Aurora’s grand opening have yet to be revealed.
The resort’s upscale 226-room hotel, offering a variety of standard rooms and suits, will be accompanied by the second location of a Pennsylvania-based luxury wellness spa.
Drift Spa, by beauty and wellness entrepreneur Stacey Steffes, is set to offer classic spa experiences along with hair and beauty services. In addition to the services offered at the spa’s first location within the Marriott at Penn Square in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, it will also offer additional services including a “Drift Drybar.”
Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis will be opening an Italian steakhouse called Sorella at the new Aurora site. The restaurant is expected to have outdoor seating and an open kitchen with a menu including fresh pasta, steaks, Roman-style pizza and other Italian dishes.
Also coming to the Aurora site is the Boulevard Food & Drink Hall, which is set to include Lucky Goat, a burger restaurant by celebrity chef Stephanie Izard, as well as Antique Taco, Pretty Cool Ice Cream and Five50 Pizza.
The food hall is being developed in partnership with McClain Camarota Hospitality, the restaurant group of James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Shawn McClain.
The casino’s 12,000-square-foot event center will be able to host a variety of events, including meetings, conferences, weddings, galas, entertainment and more.
Greg Moore, vice president and general manager of Hollywood Casino-Aurora, has said that nearly all of the amenities within the casino resort, including the hotel itself, will be fully owned and operated by Hollywood Casino-Aurora. For instance, Sorella will be fully owned and operated by the casino, with De Laurentiis providing things like training and recipes to the restaurant, he said.
An exception is the social hall, Moore previously said, which is being structured like a landlord agreement with McClain Camarota Hospitality renting from the casino.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
