A moment some have waited decades to arrive is here: The Hard Rock Casino Rockford opens this week.
It’s the culmination of a dream that at one time seemed impossible to attain.
But after years of planning, investment, construction and dodging all the political land mines, the nearly 180,000-square-foot casino resort at 7801 E. State St. is finally here.
Here is what you need to know about Rockford’s casino.
The doors to Hard Rock Casino Rockford open at 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29.
There are 1,700 parking spaces available in the main parking lot at the casino. An auxiliary lot east of Lyford Road has an additional 342 parking spaces with shuttle service to the casino.
There are six restaurants to suit virtually any budget and taste offered at the Hard Rock Casino Rockford. They include the upscale Council Oak Steaks & Seafood and the signature Hard Rock Café. They also have a Marketplace food hall featuring Brick’d Italian Kitchen, Constant Grind, Street Tacos and the YouYu Noodle Bar.
Built by Ringland-Johnson Construction, about 1,200 workers had a hand in the construction of the Hard Rock. Workers used 1.4 million cubic feet of gravel — enough to fill 500,000 average size swimming pools — to level the roughly 25-acre site. The building, among other materials, is made of 243,000 cubic feet of concrete and 2.2 million pounds of steel. Crews installed 145 miles of electrical wire needed to power the lights, computers and slot machines.
A replica of Rockford legend and Cheap Trick Hall of Fame guitarist Rick Nielsen’s signature Hamer checkerboard guitar marks the entrance to the casino. It stands 62-feet, 10-inches tall and 38-feet, 6-inches wide. Custom crafted over five months by Baltimore-based Gable sign company and shipped to Rockford, it weighs in at 7 tons.
Hard Rock Casino Rockford boasts 65,000 square feet of gaming space. There are nearly 1,300 slot machines and 44 table games including a six-table room dedicated to baccarat, one of the most popular casino games in the world. In addition, the casino will feature a six-table poker room.
Minimum bets vary based on time of day, day of the week, player demand and what players are willing to spend. Minimum bets usually range from $10 to $25.
Opening ceremonies including a Hard Rock guitar smash, a visit from Gov. JB Pritzker and an inaugural performance by the Nielsen Trust are invitation only and not open to the general public. However, Hard Rock officials said all the restaurants will be open, musical acts are expected on stages inside the Hard Rock Café and at the steak house and there are bunch of acts coming to the Hard Rock Live venue opening weekend.
Opening weekend is jam packed with entertainment at the Hard Rock. Senegalese American hip-hop and R&B artist Akon takes the stage Friday night, Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Joan Jett and the Blackhearts plays Saturday and country singer-songwriter Brad Paisley performs on his Son of the Mountains tour Sunday.
The Hard Rock Live features 1,600 seats and can accommodate up to 2,000 people. It can be converted into a banquet hall for 600 to 800 people or reconfigured for smaller events.
Under a host community agreement, Rockford is guaranteed $7 million annually in gaming tax revenue. If the city’s share falls below $7 million, the company would pay to close the gap.
Rockford collects 70% of the local share of casino gaming tax revenue. Winnebago County gets 20% while Loves Park and Machesney Park each get 5%.
Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on X @jeffkolkey.
