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Wyomissing,
PA – May 2025 / NewsmakerAlert: PENN
Entertainment, Inc. (“PENN” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: PENN) announces
that it expects to open the new land-based Hollywood
Casino Joliet to the public on Monday, August 11, pending customary
regulatory approvals. PENN’s newest casino is scheduled to open nearly
six months ahead of the Company’s originally scheduled construction timeline.
The
new state-of-the-art destination entertainment facility will anchor Rock
Run Collection, a new super-regional commercial and residential development,
conveniently located adjacent to the Interstate 80 and Interstate 55 interchange
that estimates to have 230,000 passing vehicles daily. The best-in-class
property will feature approximately 1,000 slots and 43 live table games,
including a baccarat room, a retail ESPN BET sportsbook, an approximately
10,000-square-foot event center with meeting areas, and roughly 1,330 parking
spaces. The Company expects to have approximately 600 team members at the
new casino, growing PENN’s employee roster in Joliet by 200.
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“The
countdown to the opening of our newest casino begins today,” said Jay
Snowden, Chief Executive Officer and President for PENN. “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.”
Hollywood
Casino Joliet will introduce numerous world class quality dining experiences
for guests to enjoy. As previously announced, PENN
has partnered with celebrity chef and entrepreneur Giada De Laurentiis
to debut her fusion of classic Italian cuisine and modern California influence
in the Chicagoland region for the first time. Sorellina by Giada will offer
approximately 170 seats for dining and a contemporary bar featuring a comprehensive
wine selection with a light, young, and casual aesthetic.
PENN
has also partnered with McClain
Camarota Hospitality (“MCH”) to bring prominent Chicago chefs and restaurants
to Hollywood Casino Joliet. Through this partnership, the property will
feature the Boulevard Food & Drink Hall, a dynamic dining experience
that will include Lucky Goat, an all-new burger concept from celebrity
chef Stephanie Izard; Antique Taco, the first suburban location for the
popular gourmet taco restaurant; Pretty Cool Ice Cream, the Chicago favorite
that also has store fronts in Logan Square and Lincoln Park; and Five50
Pizza, a New York-style meets Neapolitan pizza concept offering from the
fine dining chefs at MCH.
“We’re
thrilled to partner with these elite restauranteurs to bring amazing dining
options to the new Hollywood Casino Joliet,” said Todd
George, Executive Vice President of Operations for PENN. “These concepts
will create a vibrant atmosphere throughout the property and provide our
patrons with an array of food and beverage offerings that are unmatched
in the market.”
Additional
details related to the grand opening of the new casino will be provided
in advance of August 11. The Company expects to work with the Illinois
Gaming Board on the transfer of operations from the existing Hollywood
Casino Joliet, which is located on the Des Plaines River, to the new landside
facility as the opening date nears.
In
the third quarter, PENN anticipates accessing approximately $130 million
in funding from Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. for this $185 million
project.
About
Hollywood Casino Joliet
Opened
in 1992 on the shores of the Des Plaines River, Hollywood
Casino Joliet, operated by PENN Entertainment, features hundreds of
the latest slot machines and table games along with electrifying entertainment
and premier dining experiences. A new $185 million land-based Hollywood
Casino Joliet is scheduled to open in the summer of 2025 featuring 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 www.HollywoodCasinoJoliet.com.
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.
Media
Contacts:
Jeff
Morris
VP,
Public Affairs
PENN
Entertainment, Inc.
610-373-2400
LinkedIn
Mike
Nieves
SVP,
Finance & Treasurer
PENN
Entertainment, Inc.
610-373-2400
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