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Business Wire
a day ago
- Business
- Business Wire
PENN Entertainment Celebrates Grand Opening of Hollywood Casino Joliet
WYOMISSING, Pa. & JOLIET, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today marks the grand opening of Hollywood Casino Joliet, the all-new, land-based property by PENN Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: PENN) ('PENN' or the 'Company'). The $185 million state-of-the-art casino replaces the former riverboat property that operated on the shores of the Des Plaines River since 1992. Legislators and area dignitaries, Illinois Gaming Board officials, Chicago Bears executives and NFL legend and Joliet native Tom Thayer are joining PENN team members for a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning. Hollywood Casino Joliet will then open to the public at 4:00 p.m. and welcome guests to experience approximately 1,000 of the newest slot machines, 43 table games, a retail ESPN BET™ sportsbook, upscale national and Chicagoland celebrity-led dining and, above all, a premier guest experience. 'We would like to officially welcome players and guests to the all-new Hollywood Casino Joliet,' said Jay Snowden, CEO and President of PENN Entertainment. 'After approximately 20 months of construction, we are thrilled to open the doors to this land-based entertainment destination. We are proud of our 30-year history in Will County and are committed to continuing our investment in the community by creating new jobs, providing important tax revenue, and serving as a new attraction to bring even more visitors to the area.' 'This opening marks an exciting new era of entertainment in Joliet,' said Todd George, Executive Vice President of Operations for PENN. 'We're grateful for the support from the city of Joliet, the Illinois Gaming Board, and our business and community partners who contributed to the successful development of this new property. We look forward to delivering an elevated experience with world class dining, entertainment, and gaming options for patrons across the region.' The roughly 189,000 square foot entertainment destination employs approximately 600 team members and generated around 450 construction jobs. Open seven days a week and 24 hours a day, the fun and excitement will continue 365 days a year. Gaming Floor Hollywood Casino Joliet's gaming floor features 1,000 of the latest video reel slot and video poker machines, as well as 43 exciting table games, including blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, and more. The ESPN BET sportsbook includes one of Chicagoland's largest TV screens to create the ultimate watching experience, sports betting tellers, and sports wagering and racing kiosks, along with interactive games. Dining and Entertainment Hollywood Casino Joliet features multiple world-class dining options throughout the property, including many options for guests of all ages. PENN partnered with celebrity chef and entrepreneur Giada De Laurentiis to create Sorellina by Giada, an upscale restaurant that combines De Laurentiis' signature fusion of classic Italian cuisine and modern California influence. The restaurant seats roughly 170 guests and features a unique menu of pastas, pizza, and more. Boulevard Food & Drink Hall is a dynamic dining experience operated by McClain Camarota Hospitality, founded by James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Shawn McClain. Open to all ages with both indoor seating and an outdoor patio with a fire feature, Boulevard Food & Drink Hall includes Chicago favorites Antique Taco and Pretty Cool Ice Cream, as well as Five50 Pizza and Lucky Goat, an all-new burger concept from fellow James Beard Award-winning celebrity chef Stephanie Izard. In addition to the numerous betting opportunities and massive screen highlighting the hottest sports action from around the world, ESPN BET is also a full service, classic casual restaurant that seats roughly 185 patrons in the dining room and bar. Guests can enjoy a wide array of food and beverage options, featuring favorites such as burgers, crispy wings, sandwiches, and shareables, plus a wide selection of craft and domestic beers and hand-crafted cocktails. Red Lotus Asian Kitchen will serve patrons authentic made-to-order Asian cuisine, featuring popular noodle and southeast Asian specialties designed to excite the senses in a sleek, modern designed open kitchen. Nearby on the gaming floor is &Vine, a 100-seat bar and entertainment lounge offering distinctive beverages and will be host to various artists for guests to enjoy. In addition, Hollywood Casino Joliet's 10,000 square foot event center includes a customizable layout to accommodate weddings, galas, community events, concerts, sports events, meetings, and more. The event center is also accessible for all ages. PENN Play™ Rewards Program Guests can elevate their experience with PENN Play, PENN Entertainment's industry-leading loyalty program, available at more than 35 destinations nationwide. This free membership offers exclusive access to events, experiences, and personalized rewards across gaming, dining, hotel stays, and entertainment. With five membership tiers—Play, Advantage, Preferred, Elite, and Owners Club, members enjoy benefits such as priority access, premium partner perks, and personalized offers. Members can easily track their rewards and tier progress through the PENN Play app, which also manages their loyalty dollars 'PENN Cash', redeemable for PENN SlotPlay, hotel stays, dining, and more. Once members reach 3,000 Tier Points, they unlock Real Time Rewards, delivering instant PENN Cash bonuses. The program also proudly features PENN Heroes, honoring active-duty military, veterans, and first responders with exclusive benefits, including annual tier upgrades, hotel and dining discounts, and special promotions. About Hollywood Casino Joliet Hollywood Casino Joliet, operated by PENN Entertainment, is now open at the all-new, land-based entertainment destination located at 1401 Gateway Blvd., Joliet, IL. The state-of-the-art casino recently replaced the former riverboat located on the shores of the Des Plaines River since 1992. The all-new Hollywood Casino Joliet features approximately 1,000 slots and 43 live table games, an ESPN BET sportsbook, several new restaurants and bars, event center and meeting space, and ample parking. For more information, visit About PENN Entertainment PENN Entertainment, Inc., together with its subsidiaries ('PENN,' or the 'Company'), is North America's leading provider of integrated entertainment, sports content, and casino gaming experiences. PENN operates in 28 jurisdictions throughout North America, with a broadly diversified portfolio of casinos, racetracks, and online sports betting and iCasino offerings under well-recognized brands including Hollywood Casino®, L'Auberge®, ESPN BET™, and theScore BET Sportsbook and Casino®. PENN's ability to leverage its partnership with ESPN, the 'worldwide leader in sports,' and its ownership of theScore™, the top digital sports media brand in Canada, is central to the Company's highly differentiated strategy to expand its footprint and efficiently grow its customer ecosystem. PENN's focus on organic cross-sell opportunities is reinforced by its market-leading retail casinos, sports media assets, and technology, including a proprietary state-of-the-art, fully integrated digital sports and iCasino betting platform, and an in-house iCasino content studio (PENN Game Studios). The Company's portfolio is further bolstered by its industry-leading PENN Play™ customer loyalty program, offering its approximately 32 million members a unique set of rewards and experiences. Forward Looking Statement This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'expects,' 'believes,' 'estimates,' 'projects,' 'intends,' 'plans,' 'goal,' 'seeks,' 'may,' 'will,' 'should,' 'look forward to,' or 'anticipates' or the negative or other variations of these or similar words, or by discussions of future events, strategies or risks and uncertainties. These statements are based upon management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates and are not guarantees of timing, future results, or performance. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated in these statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those factors described in PENN Entertainment's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC'), including PENN Entertainment's current reports on Form 8-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except for PENN Entertainment's ongoing obligations under the U.S. federal securities laws, PENN Entertainment undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
New York Post
04-08-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
ESPN BET announces betting integration with fantasy sports
Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information. You've heard of SportsCenter, but now ESPN's betting platform, ESPN BET, is bringing you FanCenter. The media conglomerate, which hosts a sports betting platform with gambling powerhouse PENN Entertainment, is bringing its latest feature to the app to help you keep an eye on your fantasy teams. ESPN BET is rolling out a new 'For You' page where your ESPN Fantasy rosters will automatically upload into your betting app once you link your ESPN account. Users will now get ESPN BET's player insights, Over/Under props, and stats uploaded directly onto the app, which could help users make those dicey start/sit decisions on a week-to-week basis. 3 Start-sit questions are all the rage in fantasy football. X, @ESPNFANTASY 3 Illustration of ESPN Bet FanCenter app screens showing personalized sports betting picks. ESPN BET 'We've been focused on increasing the visibility of ESPN BET across the ESPN ecosystem, such as showcasing odds in stories and box scores and expanding the availability of markets within the ESPN app to include player and game props,' Aaron LaBerge, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Interactive at PENN Entertainment, told The Post. 'Now we're extending that connectivity to the fantasy product with a really innovative feature, tapping into the massive ESPN fantasy userbase and streamlining the process for players to double down on their rosters with just a few taps.' In addition to the fantasy sports piece of this new feature, bettors will also have a highlighted market to build bets based on their fantasy team called 'Fantasy Bet Builder.' ESPN fantasy football was the No. 1 fantasy sports platform in the app store, as it set an all-time high mark with more than 13 million people playing the game. 3 ESPN and PENN Entertainment collaborated on this interesting new feature. ESPN BET PENN Entertainment and ESPN are coming up on two years in business together, with the expectation that they would carve out a significant market share from the big guys, DraftKings and FanDuel. These increasing efforts from PENN to work towards that goal with ESPN are a show of unity between the two companies, as they've mostly underperformed that expectation to date. Get the lowdown on the Best USA Sports Betting Sites and Apps PENN Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden had hoped that they would build a 20 percent market share by 2027, but they are projecting a 4.7 percent share by the end of 2025. ESPN BET and PENN Entertainment are in the midst of a 10-year $2 billion deal through 2033, although there are opt-out clauses if certain marketshare requirements are not met. Why Trust New York Post Betting Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he's showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
Business Wire
23-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
PENN Entertainment Publishes 2024 Corporate Responsibility Report
WYOMISSING, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PENN Entertainment, Inc., ('PENN' or the 'Company') (Nasdaq: PENN) North America's leading provider of integrated entertainment, sports content and casino gaming experiences, published today its 2024 Corporate Responsibility report. The full report is available on the Corporate Responsibility page of the Company's website. The 2024 Report details PENN's longstanding commitment to supporting its team members and neighbors, practicing good corporate citizenship, and ensuring responsible stewardship of the planet's natural resources. These programs and initiatives comprise The PENN Way, which is reflective of the Company's core values and the unique culture at PENN. Key highlights of PENN's 2024 Corporate Responsibility Report Include: PENN Entertainment, through its Corporate office, retail casinos and Interactive businesses in Canada and Gibraltar, donated approximately $9 million in support of local charities and Veterans-focused organizations, and generated more than $16 million in economic development grants. PENN team members volunteered over 11,000 hours to help those in need. Awarded over $4.2 million in need-based scholarships to the children of our team members since the inception of our PENN Scholarship Fund, 58% of whom are first generation college students, and 61% of whom are female. In 2024, we recognized 44 graduates from the first year of our program. With an ongoing focus on sustainability, we set an abatement goal of a 25% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and we expanded our climate-related disclosures, including filing with three of the major reporting frameworks for the first time. Jay Snowden, CEO and President of PENN Entertainment commented: 'I am thankful for the tireless efforts of our Board's Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, our internal Corporate Responsibility committee, and all of our Corporate, property and Interactive leadership teams for championing The PENN Way. Providing support to causes that are most important to our team members, customers, and key stakeholders is core to who we are, and I'm incredibly proud of all the work being done across PENN to carry forth these initiatives.' About PENN Entertainment, Inc. PENN Entertainment, Inc., together with its subsidiaries ('PENN,' or the 'Company'), is North America's leading provider of integrated entertainment, sports content, and casino gaming experiences. PENN operates in 28 jurisdictions throughout North America, with a broadly diversified portfolio of casinos, racetracks, and online sports betting and iCasino offerings under well-recognized brands including Hollywood Casino ®, L'Auberge ®, ESPN BET™, and theScore BET Sportsbook and Casino ®. PENN's ability to leverage its partnership with ESPN, the 'worldwide leader in sports,' and its ownership of theScore™, the top digital sports media brand in Canada, is central to the Company's highly differentiated strategy to expand its footprint and efficiently grow its customer ecosystem. PENN's focus on organic cross-sell opportunities is reinforced by its market-leading retail casinos, sports media assets, and technology, including a proprietary state-of-the-art, fully integrated digital sports and iCasino betting platform, and an in-house iCasino content studio (PENN Game Studios). The Company's portfolio is further bolstered by its industry-leading PENN Play™ customer loyalty program, offering its over 32 million members a unique set of rewards and experiences.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New Hollywood Casino Joliet set to open earlier than expected
A new Chicago-area casino is getting ready to open this summer – months ahead of schedule. Hollywood Casino Joliet, which is leaving its longtime riverboat home, announced Wednesday it is planning to move into its new land-based facility Aug. 11, pending regulatory approval. 'The countdown to the opening of our newest casino begins today,' Jay Snowden, Penn Entertainment's CEO and president, said in a news release. 'The move from our existing riverboat significantly improves our offerings in the highly attractive Chicagoland market, and both our existing customers and new guests will be able to enjoy premier gaming, dining, and entertainment at this exceptionally accessible new location.' Construction is nearing completion on the new $185 million Hollywood Casino Joliet in the Rock Run Collection, a sprawling 310-acre mixed-use development adjacent to the Interstate 80 and Interstate 55 interchange. The facility will feature expanded gaming, with 1,000 slots, 43 table games, a retail sportsbook, a 10,000-square-foot event center and restaurants. The casino, which broke ground in December 2023, was initially projected to open at the end of this year. Penn is also building a new land-based entertainment complex for Hollywood Casino Aurora, which is slated to open next year. The $360 million facility is going up near I-88 and Chicago Premium Outlets mall and will include 1,200 gaming positions, a 220-room hotel, a retail sportsbook, a spa, an outdoor entertainment area, a 12,000-square-foot event center and restaurants. Both casinos will offer new Italian restaurants in partnership with Giada De Laurentiis, and food halls featuring the first suburban locations for Antique Taco and Pretty Cool Ice Cream, as well as Lucky Goat, a new burger restaurant by celebrity chef Stephanie Izard. The restaurants are expected to open in time to feed the first gamblers at Hollywood Casino Joliet in August, pending approval by the Illinois Gaming Board, a Penn spokesperson said. Launched in the 1990s when the state legalized riverboat casinos, both Joliet and Aurora are still operating as permanently moored barges on the Des Plaines and Fox rivers, respectively. The state's sweeping 2019 gambling expansion bill, which added everything from six new casinos to sports betting, allowed all casinos to be built on or moved to dry land. Rivers Des Plaines became the first to convert to a land-based casino, paying a $250,000 Gaming Board fee in 2020 to expand beyond an underground pool on which it was built. The state's newer casinos, including Bally's Chicago, Wind Creek Chicago Southland and Hard Rock Rockford, are all land-based. Rivers Casino Des Plaines was once again the state's top casino in April with $43.9 million in adjusted gross receipts, followed by newcomer Wind Creek, which hit a new high with $17.1 million in revenue, according to Gaming Board data. Wind Creek, owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, launched in its permanent 70,000-square-foot casino in south suburban East Hazel Crest in November. Last month, it opened a 255-room hotel. In May 2022, Rhode Island-based Bally's was selected to build the Chicago casino at the site of the former Tribune printing plant in River West, a $1.7 billion proposal that includes an exhibition hall, a 500-room hotel, a 3,000-seat theater, 10 restaurants and 4,000 gaming positions. The casino is expected to open in September 2026. Work was temporarily halted May 1 after the Gaming Board discovered the construction project was using an unauthorized subcontracted waste hauler previously alleged to have had ties to organized crime. The agency gave Bally's Chicago the green light to resume construction May 15 with a new vendor vetting and disclosure process in place. Bally's, which has been operating a temporary casino at Medinah Temple since September 2023, was ranked fifth among the state's 16 full casinos with $11 million in adjusted gross receipts last month, according to data from the Gaming Board. Hollywood Casino Aurora ranked eighth in revenue during April at $8.3 million and Hollywood Casino Joliet was 10th at $7.1 million, according to Gaming Board data. rchannick@
Chicago Tribune
28-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
New Hollywood Casino Joliet set to open earlier than expected
A new Chicago-area casino is getting ready to open this summer – months ahead of schedule. Hollywood Casino Joliet, which is leaving its longtime riverboat home, announced Wednesday it is planning to move into its new land-based facility on Aug. 11, pending regulatory approval. 'The countdown to the opening of our newest casino begins today,' Jay Snowden, Penn Entertainment's CEO and president, said in a news release. 'The move from our existing riverboat significantly improves our offerings in the highly attractive Chicagoland market, and both our existing customers and new guests will be able to enjoy premier gaming, dining, and entertainment at this exceptionally accessible new location.' Construction is nearing completion on the new $185 million Hollywood Casino Joliet in the Rock Run Collection, a sprawling 310-acre mixed-use development adjacent to the Interstate 80 and Interstate 55 interchange. The facility will feature expanded gaming, with 1,000 slots, 43 table games, a retail sportsbook, a 10,000-square-foot event center and restaurants. The casino, which broke ground in December 2023, was initially projected to open at the end of this year. Penn is also building a new land-based entertainment complex for Hollywood Casino Aurora, which is slated to open next year. The $360 million facility is going up near I-88 and Chicago Premium Outlets mall and will include 1,200 gaming positions, a 220-room hotel, a retail sportsbook, a spa, an outdoor entertainment area, a 12,000-square-foot event center and restaurants. Both casinos will offer new Italian restaurants in partnership with Giada De Laurentiis, and food halls featuring the first suburban locations for Antique Taco and Pretty Cool Ice Cream, as well as Lucky Goat, a new burger restaurant by celebrity chef Stephanie Izard. The restaurants are expected to open in time to feed the first gamblers at Hollywood Casino Joliet in August, pending approval by the Illinois Gaming Board, a Penn spokesperson said. Launched in the 1990s when the state legalized riverboat casinos, both Joliet and Aurora are still operating as permanently moored barges on the Des Plaines and Fox rivers, respectively. The state's sweeping 2019 gambling expansion bill, which added everything from six new casinos to sports betting, allowed all casinos to be built on or moved to dry land. Rivers Des Plaines became the first to convert to a land-based casino, paying a $250,000 Gaming Board fee in 2020 to expand beyond an underground pool on which it was built. The state's newer casinos, including Bally's Chicago, Wind Creek Chicago Southland and Hard Rock Rockford, are all land-based. Rivers Casino Des Plaines was once again the state's top casino in April with $43.9 million in adjusted gross receipts, followed by newcomer Wind Creek, which hit a new high with $17.1 million in revenue, according to Gaming Board data. Wind Creek, owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, launched in its permanent 70,000-square-foot casino in south suburban East Hazel Crest in November. Last month, it opened a 255-room hotel. In May 2022, Rhode Island-based Bally's was selected to build the Chicago casino at the site of the former Tribune printing plant in River West, a $1.7 billion proposal that includes an exhibition hall, a 500-room hotel, a 3,000-seat theater, 10 restaurants and 4,000 gaming positions. The casino is expected to open in September 2026. Work was temporarily shut down May 1 after the Gaming Board discovered the construction project was using an unauthorized subcontracted waste hauler previously alleged to have had ties to organized crime. The agency gave Bally's Chicago the green light to resume construction May 15 with a new vendor vetting and disclosure process in place. Bally's, which has been operating a temporary casino at Medinah Temple since September 2023, was ranked fifth among the state's 16 full casinos with $11 million in adjusted gross receipts last month, according to data from the Gaming Board. Hollywood Casino Aurora ranked eighth in revenue during April at $8.3 million and Hollywood Casino Joliet was 10th at $7.1 million, according to Gaming Board data. rchannick@
