PENN Entertainment marked back-to-back milestones this month as the gaming and entertainment company accelerated its brick-and-mortar development program. The company formally opened a new $100 million hotel tower at Hollywood Casino Columbus on June 12 and is preparing to open the all-new Hollywood Casino Aurora in Illinois on June 24, marking what PENN describes as its third and fourth retail development projects to open in under a year.
The Columbus hotel tower adds 203 guest rooms to Hollywood Casino Columbus, one of Ohio's premier gaming destinations. The property features 183 standard rooms and 20 luxury suites across the 150,000-square-foot tower, along with a full-service bar and restaurant called The Hill Eatery and Lounge, conference rooms, a fitness center, and an outdoor seating terrace. PENN estimates the hotel expansion will add approximately 150 new jobs at the Columbus property.
Columbus Grand Opening: Bret Michaels, Fireworks, and an Indian Motorcycle
Hollywood Casino Columbus hosted a grand opening ceremony on June 12 featuring a procession led by The Ohio State University Alumni Band, a Bret Michaels concert, and a fireworks display. A prize drawing gave attendees a chance to win a 2026 Indian Motorcycle. PENN Chief Executive Jay Snowden noted that the Columbus opening was the company's third major retail development to open in quick succession, with Aurora still to come.
In addition to the hotel, PENN said Hollywood Casino Columbus will introduce an expanded high-limit table games room and a speakeasy bar in the third quarter of 2026, pending regulatory approval. The hotel and expanded gaming amenities position the Columbus property as a more complete resort destination, competing with major Ohio casinos and targeting both local day-trippers and overnight visitors from across the region. The Ohio sportsbook market is one of the most competitive in the country, and land-based properties with hotel offerings have been investing heavily in amenities to attract and retain customers.
Hollywood Aurora: End of an Era on the Fox River
The Aurora story is more than an opening — it marks the close of a 30-year chapter in Illinois gaming history. PENN closed the Hollywood Casino Aurora riverboat on June 10 after three decades of operation on the Fox River, retiring one of the state's most recognizable floating casino venues. The new Hollywood Casino Aurora, a $360 million land-based facility located approximately 3.5 miles northeast of the old riverboat site near the Chicago Premium Outlets, is set to open on June 24, pending customary regulatory approvals.
The relocation is the most significant change to PENN's Illinois presence in decades and reflects a broader industry trend away from riverboat and floating casino operations toward modern land-based resorts. PENN opened an all-new land-based casino in Joliet, Illinois in 2025 and also opened a new hotel tower at M Resort Spa Casino Las Vegas in the same period, giving the company a string of major property upgrades heading into the second half of 2026.
PENN also has a fourth relocation project in the pipeline — a new land-based property in Council Bluffs, Iowa, anticipated to open in 2028. The Illinois sportsbook market is among the highest-revenue regulated sports betting markets in the United States, and PENN's expanded footprint in the state strengthens its position to capture in-person betting traffic at its new Aurora facility.
