Looking to keep pace with a new casino complex opening north of the border in Wisconsin, Hard Rock Casino Rockford announced a major expansion Thursday with plans to build an adjacent hotel.
The Hard Rock Hotel will rise up next to the casino along Interstate 90, putting Rockford more prominently on the map as a regional entertainment destination, with more than 200 rooms, a spa and fitness center, new food and beverage offerings and a 15,000-square-foot convention center. The $90 million hotel will be funded by the city through a municipal bond, with Hard Rock responsible for operating the facility and servicing the debt.
“We’re doubling down on Rockford,” said Geno Iafrate, president of Hard Rock Casino Rockford. “This hotel and convention center cements our commitment to this community and its growing needs. Our belief is that this region is a destination that can compete at the highest level.”
Florida-based Hard Rock International operates 17 casinos and more than a dozen hotels across the U.S., including casinos in Rockford and Gary. Hard Rock has also proposed building a $400 million casino and hotel in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The planned Hard Rock Hotel in Rockford — the only one in Illinois — comes as the rival Ho-Chunk Gaming Beloit takes shape 18 miles to the north. Set on a 32-acre section of a former cornfield, the $705 million entertainment complex is launching in two phases, with Wisconsin’s second-largest casino set to welcome gamblers in September and an 18-story hotel opening in 2027.
Hard Rock is hoping to keep pace with Ho-Chunk’s launch in Beloit by breaking ground on its hotel in September and opening in late 2027, Iafrate told the Tribune.
“The goal is to not let them have too much of a head start on a hotel,” Iafrate said. “We’ve got to get ours up and running very close to when they would anticipate theirs will be up and running. So it’s necessary.”
Adding a hotel to the still relatively new permanent facility at Hard Rock Casino Rockford is meant to expand its reach as a regional entertainment destination, while defending its turf against a potentially formidable new competitor just up the road off I-90.
Hard Rock Rockford has become one of Illinois’ busiest casinos since opening its 175,000-square-foot facility in August 2024 after nearly three years in temporary digs.
In April, Hard Rock ranked third among the state’s 17 casinos with $13.6 million in adjusted gross receipts, according to the latest Illinois Gaming Board data. Rivers Casino Des Plaines topped the list at $46.2 million, followed by Wind Creek Chicago Southland at about $19.5 million.
New facilities at Wind Creek, Hard Rock and a new land-based Hollywood Casino Joliet led a boom in casino revenue last year, with the state’s casinos generating more than $1.9 billion in adjusted gross receipts in 2025, a 15% year-over-year gain, according to Gaming Board data. Statewide casino revenue is up 12.6% through the first four months of 2026.
Iafrate expects the new Beloit casino to cut into Hard Rock’s revenues by about 20% initially. Over time, the two venues might actually benefit each other by creating a mini gambling mecca across state lines, he said.
Located on the site of the former Clock Tower Resort off I-90, the Hard Rock Casino Rockford includes seven restaurants, a sportsbook and an expandable 2,100-seat concert venue. But unlike several new casinos popping up in Illinois — and the one being built in Beloit — there was no hotel formally in the works until Thursday’s announcement.
Funding for the hotel construction will be issued through Rockford’s bonding authority with Hard Rock solely responsible for the repayment, the city said in a joint news release with the casino. Last year, Hard Rock Casino Rockford generated more than $146 million in adjusted gross receipts, yielding more than $8.7 million in local taxes, according to Gaming Board data.
As part of its 2019 agreement with the city, Hard Rock guaranteed to pay Rockford at least $7 million in tax revenue per year. Adding a hotel makes Hard Rock an even better bet for the city, according to Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara.
“This guarantees that money in perpetuity, plus it will allow that money to grow now with the hotel,” McNamara told the Tribune. “Maybe not everyone in Rockford is ever going to come to the casino, but we want everyone in Rockford to benefit from the casino.”
The eight- to nine-story Hard Rock Hotel will prominently display items from notable musicians, including guitars from the collection of Rockford native and Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielson. While the design has not been finalized, the hotel will have between 200 and 225 rooms, depending on the size of the VIP suites, spa and other amenities, Iafrate said.
Meanwhile, there is more competition brewing among Illinois casinos.
Last week, Bally’s Chicago held a topping off ceremony for its $1.7 billion entertainment complex on the 30-acre former site of the Tribune’s Freedom Center printing plant in River West. The state’s largest casino and 34-story hotel are slated to open next year.
Hollywood Casino Aurora’s new $360 million land-based facility is set to open next month and the permanent $500 million American Place Casino in Waukegan is expected to break ground this year, according to casino owner Full House Resorts.
A hotel groundbreaking this fall in Rockford will improve the odds that Hard Rock stays near the top of the Illinois casino revenue list in the evolving gambling landscape, Iafrate said.
“Even if Ho-Chunk wasn’t building, even if Aurora wasn’t expanding, if none of this was happening, a hotel was a necessary amenity for us to continue to increase our revenue and our performance,” Iafrate said. “You add Aurora to that, you add Beloit to that, it makes it even more important.”
rchannick@chicagotribune.com
