New Illinois casinos will bring more than entertainment to residents of the Prairie State.
There are six casino licenses currently in various stages in Illinois. Soon, the fruits of regulatory labor will deliver thousands of employment opportunities to residents. From construction to maintaining daily operations, roughly 20,000 casino-related jobs will become available, some temporary and some full-time positions.
Here are the statuses of each new Illinois casino and the potential number of jobs they will bring.
Hard Rock Casino Rockford jobs
The Opening Act, Hard Rock’s temporary casino, is open for business. However, it is only open temporarily until the permanent casino is complete in the fall of 2023. About 16,600 construction workers and 3,140 permanent casino employees will be necessary for Hard Rock’s permanent facility in Rockford.
Opening Act is 37,000-square-feet, has 625+ slot machines and electronic table games and has two restaurants in the venue. The permanent casino will be 65,000-square-feet; however, the total number of slot machines and table games hasn’t been made official. Also featured will be a 1,600-seat entertainment and concert venue, a Hard Rock Cafe, and a few other bars and restaurants that have yet to be named.
Update: Hard Rock job fair May 16
Hard Rock will be meeting with potential employees to work in the day-to-day operations of the casino. Those interested need to bring either a government-issued driver’s license or state ID and an updated resume. Prior to the event, those interested must also apply online.
- When: 1-5 p.m. on May 16
- Where: Rock River Bar and Grill inside Hard Rock, 610 N. Bell School Road, Rockford, IL
Opening positions include cash operations, food and beverage, surveillance, security and casino floor. Hard Rock offers competitive pay, a full health insurance package, tuition reimbursement, retirement and more.
Golden Nugget Danville Casino jobs
The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) recently deemed Danville “preliminarily suitable” for a casino license.
Last week, a groundbreaking event was hosted to signify the beginning of the construction of the gaming facility. It could take 11 months to build the casino and open its doors to guests. Danville’s casino will be 41,500-square-feet and feature a Golden Nugget Sportsbook, 500 slot machines, 14 table games and two restaurants.
Golden Nugget will hire 850 full-time people and 400 construction jobs.
Waukegan casino jobs
Along with Golden Nugget Danville, American Place Casino in Waukegan received recent approval from the IGB. Full House Resorts hopes to open a temporary casino in July 2022 and a permanent casino within two years. Hundreds of people will be sought for the following positions:
- Slot machine techs
- Dealers
- Sales and marketing operations personnel
Also, there will be 700 casino jobs and 150 food and drink service jobs to fill at the temporary Waukegan casino. When the permanent location opens its doors, there will be 1,858 jobs and 1,150 positions will be full-time with competitive pay rates and full benefits.
American Place has unique plans for the temporary site. It will be a 75,000-square-foot tent. There will also be 1,000 slot machines, 50 table games, a sportsbook and food and beverage service.
Walker’s Bluff Casino jobs
Ground broke on the construction of Walker’s Bluff Casino in early December. It offers a bit more than the other casinos in entertainment and amenities outside of betting.
Walker’s Bluff will hire 1,100 employees and 330 casinos workers. The casino aims for a grand opening in Williamson County sometime in 2023.
The $150 million proposal included 650 slot machines, 14 table games, a sportsbook, a 116-room hotel, a pool, a salon, a spa, retail shops, an event center and restaurants.
Wind Creek Casino jobs
In December, the Wind Creek Casino in Homewood/East Hazel Crest also got the OK and will sit at the I-80 and I-294 interchange. Roughly 800 full-time jobs will be available for South Suburban residents.
The project will cost $440 million and includes 69,190-square-feet of gaming with 1,350 slots, 56 tables and a sportsbook. For non-betting entertainment, there will be a skyline lounge, bars, restaurants and a four-diamond hotel with 252 rooms.
Chicago casino jobs
Someday there will be a casino in Chicago, but not any time soon. Three applicants are still waiting to hear who wins the Chicago casino license. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the city hope to choose a winner early this summer. A casino license would need approval from the Illinois Gaming Board, which can take two years.
Related: Chicago casino bidders receive public backlash.
There will be a hefty need for workers regardless of which casino gets the license: Anywhere between 9,500 to 17,000 construction positions and about 3,000 casino jobs.
