Rockford casino takes in $3.6M in February
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A Hard Rock Opening Act took in $3.6 million in total receipts in February, its fourth month of operation, according to the latest report from the Illinois Gaming Board.
That’s nearly $700,000 less than the casino’s peak revenue month of December, when more than $4.32 million was taken in from about 11,000 more visitors than the casino saw in February.
There were more than 28,000 admissions in the Rockford casino in February, and the city’s share of the revenue was nearly $210,000, according to the state board.
Related: Hard Rock targets spring groundbreaking for full casino resort
Hard Rock opened its temporary casino at 610 N. Bell School Road on Nov. 10. It features more than 37,000 square feet of gaming space filled with 625 of the newest slots and Interblock Electronic table games. The casino is also home to two restaurants: Midway Bar and Rock River Bar & Grill.
So far, the casino has generated more than $905,000 in tax revenue for the city. Rockford city leaders committed $1.5 million annually in revenue coming from the casino to Rockford Promise, which provides full-tuition scholarships to qualified Rockford Public Schools graduates. Anything over that has not yet been allocated.
This spring Hard Rock hopes to break ground on the full casino resort on the former Clock Tower grounds at Interstate 90 and East State Street. Construction is expected to last 18-24 months.
Related: ‘Suite’ deal between Hard Rock Casino, Rockford IceHogs
Quick comparison | Rockford Casino
Category | November | December | January | February
Admissions: 41,637 | 39,369 | 24,385 | 28,098
Total receipts: $4,145,967 | $4,321,137 | $3,367,827 | $3,624,802
State share: $497,870 | $510,851 | $385,552 | $418,676
Rockford share: $248,935 | $255,425 | $192,776 | $209,338
Source: Illinois Gaming Board
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.