Hollywood Casino Aurora opened in 1993 as Hollywood Casino Corp.'s first riverboat casino.[2] The casino's ownership transferred to Penn National Gaming (now Penn Entertainment) after its acquisition of Hollywood Casino Corp. in 2003.[3]
Two riverboats were first used, replaced by a 70,000 square feet floating, moored, half-circle structure.[4][5][6]
The casino has 53,000 square feet of gaming space and over 1,000 slot machines and 26 table games.[7] 1 restaurant on the property, Fairbanks Steakhouse. To comply with Illinois law, it is not open 24 hours a day and is smoke-free.
A law in the Illinois senate which would allow non-riverboat casinos has been favored by Penn National, as it is interested in moving the Aurora casino to an area near the Chicago Premium Outlets.[8]