Former Empress Casino to feature new sports bar
By Bob Okon
Jon Johnson, general manager of Empress Joliet, soon-to-be renamed Hollywood Casino Joliet leads a tour through the new pavilion Thursday afternoon. | Michael R. Schmidt ~ Sun-Times Media
Empress GM: ‘Now is not the time to add more gambling’
JOLIET — Jon Johnson, general manager at the Empress Casino, shook his head when asked if he’d add 800 new games as would be permitted under new gaming legislation pending in Springfield.
“It’s the wrong time,” Johnson said.
The Empress, like other casinos, can’t fill the house now. But the legislation approved by the state Senate would permit more games at existing casinos, while bringing five new casinos into the state. Slot machines would be permitted at racetracks, creating six so-called racinos.
Opponents of the legislation say state legislators are trying to increase the supply of gambling while demand is down.
“With revenues down 30 percent, now is not the time to add more gambling,” Johnson said. “That’s like trying to solve the housing problem by building more houses.”
The proposal would increase competition for the Empress and the other four casinos now outside of Chicago. Another casino is scheduled to open this year in Des Plaines, which would be the 10th casino in Illinois.
A spokeswoman for Harrah’s Joliet said the casino would not comment on the gaming legislation.
New casinos would be allowed in the city of Chicago, along with Park City in Lake County and an undetermined location in the south suburbs. Others would go in Danville and Rockford.
Joliet officials already have predicted a decline in the city’s share of gaming taxes because of the addition of the Des Plaines casino.
But legislators with an eye on closing the state’s giant budget gap predict an additional $1 billion in state gaming taxes if more casinos open up.
Hardly a year goes by without proposals coming out of Springfield for an expansion of gambling to generate more state revenue. Typically, they are scrapped.
But it’s harder to predict the outcome this year because of the severity of the state’s budget problems, said state Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, D-Joliet.
Wilhelmi voted against the gaming bill, which he said would not go to the House for a possible vote before January. Both the state House and governor must approve the legislation before it becomes law.
“We certainly haven’t seen the House supportive of this enormous an expansion of gaming in the past,” Wilhelmi said.
He questioned the estimates of new state revenue given the downward trend in the Illinois gambling business.
Counting slot machines at race tracks, Wilhelmi noted, 11 new casinos would be put into business, he said. But, “We’ve seen a steep decline in gaming revenue,” Wilhelmi added. “Adding thousands of (gaming) positions would seem to defy logic.”
— Bob Okon
JOLIET — California wines. A 110-foot-long screen with streaming cinematic images. Marilyn Monroe’s cashmere sweater displayed in an acrylic case.
These are some of the ways the Empress Casino is going Hollywood.
Starting Dec. 22, the new name — Hollywood Casino Joliet — becomes official as the Joliet casino opens up its new $60 million pavilion built after the old one burned down.
The casino on Thursday offered a sneak preview tour of the new pavilion, which is still packed with construction workers getting the place ready for the big opening in three weeks. But the transformation from the old Empress theme is evident, which casino goers have noted for weeks as they’ve seen some of the work in progress.
“We’ve tried to blend 1920s and 1930s art deco with a modern media theme,” said General Manager Jon Johnson.
Indeed, once the 110-foot electronic screen (9 feet tall) is turned on, customers coming through the valet parking entrance will be greeted by streaming Hollywood images. Those coming in from the parking deck will walk past the Hollywood Stadium sports bar and have an open view of its 80-by-120-foot video wall that can show nine games at a time.
As they head to the casino, gamblers will descend on escalators taking them below a wall covered with a huge, sepia-toned piece of artwork conveying a slice of life from 1920s Hollywood — a glamorous couple, a classic car and a movie camera.
It’s not hard to pick up on the Hollywood theme. But the casino business typically doesn’t strive for subtlety. The new pavilion replaces the sphinx and pharaoh statues that delivered the Empress theme before they were destroyed in the March 2009 fire.
This pavilion also is aimed at drawing some customers that may not be there for the gambling.
Johnson insists Hollywood Stadium will be “the coolest sports bar in Chicagoland.”
It won’t suffer for lack of TVs. There will be 43 of them, including a few stationed in private booths for those who want get away from the crowd, along with the giant video wall. Other extras include three rotating tables, Wi-Fi access, and speed dating technology offering a modern media way to meet someone new. For those who just want to drink, the bar has 65 varieties of beer, including 20 on tap.
The sports bar won’t open until February. But everything else is on schedule for Dec. 22.
That includes Final Cut Steakhouse, which will get the Hollywood treatment with displays of the Marilyn Monroe sweater, authentic Blues Brothers suits, and an evening gown worn by Elizabeth Taylor. For those who just want to drink, the steak house has a piano lounge and a wine list with more than 120 selections.
“We will have a French champagne for someone who has a great night at the casino,” said Christ Nogulich, director of food and beverage for the casino. Other than that, the wine list is almost exclusively Californian.
“The thread of Hollywood runs throughout the pavilion,” Nogulich said.
It will run into the casino, too.
The new Hollywood Casino Joliet will at times feature a celebrity table of dealers dressed as Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and other stars. They’ll perform while they deal. At other times the same table will feature “Hollywood Girls.” “They’re going to be very attractive dealers that people are going to enjoy playing cards with,” Johnson said.
The pavilion also has an Epic Buffet and Rodeo Drive Gift Shop.
The art deco interior may create a nostalgic appeal to the older customers that frequent casinos. The Joliet casino also appears to be making a pitch to a younger clientele, especially at Hollywood Stadium.
There probably won’t be too many retirees taking the “Beast” burger challenge at the sports bar. “The Beast” will be a two-pound burger with six slices of cheese and a side order of a pound of fries. Those who can eat it all in an hour get the meal free and a T-shirt saying “I Slayed the Beast at Hollywood Stadium.”
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Copyright © 2024 ToCasino.net Online Casino. All Rights Reserved. Designed by