Aurora
Dockside Casino Opens
DALLAS, TX -
Hollywood Casino® Corporation opened the first half of its spectacular
new dockside casino on February 15. Upon completion of the second
half of the dockside casino, scheduled for June of this year, management
believes it will have the premier gaming and entertainment facility
serving the lucrative Chicago gaming market.
Aurora's new dockside casino is a major expansion and improvement
of the property's gaming facility. The new dockside casino will
have 53,000 square feet of gaming space on a single level, replacing
the property's existing riverboat casinos that offer 29,500 square
feet of gaming space spread out on eight floors of the two boats.
The new casino will be connected to the property's existing pavilion
in a seamlessmanner, providing a land- based feel for the property.
The superior quality and significant additional passenger capacity
of the new dockside casino will position the Aurora casino to dramatically
increase its penetration of the largely untapped Chicago gaming
market. The passenger capacity for the new dockside casino will
increase by 70% to 3,200, from the 1,875 total passengers that can
currently be served by Aurora's two existing riverboats. The new
dockside casino will have a luxurious and richly appointed interior,
and will feature high ceilings and wide aisles that will greatly
enhance the comfort and feel of Aurora's gaming product.
"We are absolutely thrilled to be opening the first half of
our new dockside casino. The first half of this new casino is arguably
the premier casino in the Chicago marketplace. Once we open the
entire facility later this spring, we will unquestionably have the
finest gaming facility in the Midwest. We are very confident that
our new dockside casino will provide our customers with a superior
Sproduct and our investors with an excellent return on investment,''
stated Edward T. Pratt, III Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
With the opening of the first half of the new dockside casino, the
Company has taken out of service the smaller of its two
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existing riverboats
and moved its gaming equipment to the new facility. The first half
of Hollywood's new casino opened with 453 slot machines, including
150 new machines, 20 table games and the casino's six-table live
Poker Room. It also features the casino's high limit slot and one
half of the new casino's high limit table game areas, as well as
14 new cashier windows. Until the second half of the new casino
is completed, Hollywood's remaining 624 slot machines and 21 table
games will continue to be operated on the larger of the casino's
two existing riverboats.
In addition to the new dockside casino, the expansion of the Aurora
casino will include the development of a new parking facility. The
parking expansion will include a new parking lot, porte cochere
entrance and a climate controlled walkway that will directly connect
the new parking facility with Aurora's new dockside casino. The
new parking facility will increase the Aurora casino's parking capacity
by at least 30% and will significantly improve customer access to
the property. The parking lot will be the closest and most convenient
parking facility for customers visiting the new dockside casino.
The Company anticipates commencing construction of the new parking
facility in March of 2002 with the parking expansion, scheduled
to be completed by the end of June.
Hollywood Casino Corporation owns and operates distinctive Hollywood-
themed casino entertainment facilities under the service mark Hollywood
Casino® in Aurora, Illinois, Tunica, Mississippi and Shreveport,
Louisiana.
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Pechanga
Casino Resort Set to Open This Summer
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The recently
renovated Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA, is set
to open summer 2002. This expansive property is being developed
by the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians and will feature
over 1,000,000 square feet of casino gaming, dining and entertainment
amenities, and resort property to include luxury suites, making
it California's largest Las Vegas style casino when it opens
this summer.
"Pechanga Resort and Casino includes a 522-room hotel,
a convention center, 85,000 square feet of gaming space, more
than a dozen restaurants and bars, gift shops, an RV park,
and soon, an 18-hole golf course,'' explained Rod Luck, Director
of Information Technology for Pechanga Resort and Casino.
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