Hollywood Casino breaks ground at RockRun Collection in Chicagoland

Construction of the jackpot anchor of Cullinan Properties’ 310-acre mixed-use project in Joliet, Ill. is underway.

Penn Entertainment last week broke ground on its $185 million Hollywood Casino Joliet at RockRun Collection, which is intended to draw traffic to the property from Iowa, Indiana and central Illinois. Cullinan won an entitlement for the installation of a new interchange that provides direct entry to RockRun from heavily trafficked Interstate 55.

The casino will feature up to 850 slots and 44 live table games, including a baccarat room, a retail sportsbook, top-level bars and restaurants, a 10,000-sq. ft. event center, and approximately 1,330 parking spaces. 

It is also expected to create 450 construction jobs and 550 permanent jobs.

“RockRun Collection is an historic development that will blend living, working and playing in one location that will draw visitors both locally and super-regionally,” said Cullinan’s founder and chairman Diane Cullinan Oberhelman. “Partnering with Penn Entertainment to advance our vision for the site will make this a project for generations!”

When fully completed, RockRun Collection is intended to hold 500,000-sq.-ft. of retail, restaurant, and entertainment space, 500-plus hotel rooms and 570 multifamily residences. Cullinan expects the property to serve a primary trade area of 1.3 million people with average household incomes of $140,000.

Joliet is the seat of Illinois’ Will County, whose population is expected to rise by 76% to 1.2 million and whose employment is pegged to increase 116% to 437,000 through 2040. Looking to establish a community beachhead for the region, Joliet municipal leaders brought Cullinan in and asked it to turn 310 acres of farmland into a retail, entertainment and residential hub. Nine years later, their wish is coming to fruition. 

Penn Entertainment, which opened the Penn National Race Course in central Pennsylvania in 1972, went on to purchase the Hollywood Casinos Corp. in 2003. It has since acquired Argosy Gaming and Pinnacle Entertainment, and opened its first online casino in 2019.