The great battle for Hollywood casino domination

For this casino match-up, we’ll be looking at two Midwest locations from the same operator. Indiana’s Casino Lawrenceburg will face off against Illinois’ Hollywood Casino Aurora. Both are owned and operated by Penn Entertainment and each casino will have the chance to score in several categories. In this contest, we’ll look at how each location stacks up according to cleanliness, dining, look and layout, variety of games and guest services.

As always, there can only be one winner. But before we find out which Hollywood Casino will emerge victorious, let’s get to know our contestants a little better.

Hollywood Casino Aurora is located along the Fox River in Northern Illinois. Penn Entertainment broke ground last year on a new site for this destination. Hollywood’s current location will continue to operate under its normal business hours until construction on the new casino is complete.

Penn said it expects the new building project will take roughly two years to finish, so we can expect the new casino to open during 2026. Hollywood Aurora Casino will be built on Aurora’s northeast side across from the Chicago Premium Outlets mall. The new facility will replace the previous riverboat casino, which first opened in 1993.

Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg resides in Dearborn County, Indiana, not far from the Ohio River. This casino is home to more than 1,200 slot games, 70 tables games and a sportsbook. 

Now, on with the contest!

Cleanliness

I had no complaints for either casino in this category. Both spaces did a great job keeping the cigarette trash to a minimum. And the restrooms in both locations were very well kept. 

Hollywood Casino Aurora earns the first category win in this matchup because of its size. The gaming floor looked great and was spotless, despite the constant patron traffic. I’ve owned different sizes of homes, and I have found that keeping smaller spaces clean presents a bigger challenge than it does for larger homes. Congratulations on taking the first win, Aurora!

Dining

When it came to food-and-beverage options, Hollywood Casino Aurora had a great list of choices. This Chicagoland casino proved size does not always matter. The variety of entertainment, games, food and bar offerings available to its guests, despite the limited space, was impressive. Hollywood’s dining selections include Fairbanks Steakhouse, Penalty Box Sportsbook & Bar, Take Two Deli and Slice. 

Not bad for a smaller casino. 

As is the case with many other Indiana casinos, Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg had complimentary drink stations positioned throughout the large gaming floor. This casino had a generous assortment of dining options as well, including The Eatery, Final Cut Steakhouse, Hollywood and Grind and Sportsbook Restaurant.

Two of these options, The Eatery and Sportsbook Restaurant offer online ordering for takeout, as well as dining on site. Both casinos scored well for this category. But for me, the abundance of complimentary drink stations at Lawrenceburg gives this casino the win.

Look and layout 

The layout at Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg was impressive because the casino floor was essentially one long hallway with slot machines on each side. The spacious walkway was at least 10 feet across, giving people plenty of room to move around the casino while other players were seated at their favorite games.

This feature was not something I was expecting to see in a casino; and I have to say this was a nice touch. I have seen many gaming floors with plenty of room to move, but setting up the floor in one long walkway was a brilliant move. Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg takes this category because of the wideopen space. I enjoyed the aesthetic that Hollywood Casino Aurora had to offer.

Players could comfortably get from one game to the next without running into others. However, the limited square footage at this location was not enough for Aurora to win this category, although this casino’s visual appeal was on point.

So, the win for look and layout goes to Lawrenceburg.

Variety of games 

Hollywood Casino Aurora packed in a large amount of entertainment in its compact space. Though the casino floor was a bit smaller than other casinos in the Chicagoland area, like Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, this gaming area contained a large variety of games for players of all stripes.

Hollywood’s gaming floor features 20 table games and more than 1,000 slot machines, including an “old-school slots” section. Fans of the classic, three-reel, one-line slots will have no shortage of games to choose from in this heartwarming corner of the casino.

Among the titles available in the old school area were Triple Double Stars and the basic version of Double Diamond, along with several of its variations.

Hollywood offers a variety of slot aficionado favorites, as well. Fans of the Buffalo series, Dragon Link or the Wicked Wheel slot games will have no trouble finding a seat at several versions of these titles.

Both high rollers and those who want to play with smaller bankrolls will feel right at home in Aurora. Meanwhile, poker players will not have any trouble finding their game of choice in this downtown North Aurora casino. The destination’s live poker room gives players a chance to win at Texas Hold’em and the Bad Beat Jackpot.

The game selection at Lawrenceburg was impressive, too. Hollywood Lawrenceburg had a great assortment of video, progressive and reel slot options for players who want to try for a massive jackpot. I loved the variety of games available and this casino also had some titles that are harder to find.

One of these is the original Top Dollar. Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg has this game in a couple of variations, including a five-line version at 25-cent denomination.

I was also able to find a 25-cent denomination, five-line version of Double Diamond here. At this point, I have visited seven casinos in the Hoosier State. This was the first location where I found both these games outside of the high-limit room.

Hollywood Aurora gets five stars for its efforts to pack in as much entertainment as possible and for making the most of its space. However, Lawrenceburg had a lot more games and a larger variety, which means this casino wins the games category.

Guest services 

The staff at Aurora were warm and friendly, always a plus when visiting an entertainment venue for the first time. I also encountered nothing but friendly faces from staff when I applied for my rewards card at Lawrenceburg’s cashier station.

Aurora offered both enclosed garage parking and a ground-level parking lot adjacent to the casino’s entrance. This was convenient and I loved how easy this casino was to access despite being located downtown.

Parking was also convenient at Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg. The casino had an attached parking garage with access to an elevator that takes guests up to the main gaming floor. And considering that it was raining the day I visited, the enclosed garage made the experience much more enjoyable.

Another convenient feature was the ATM and cash kiosks in various spots in the casino. These were not just for taking more money out. I was able to cash in my vouchers at one of these machines when I was finished playing.

Any casino that gives the option to cash in tickets without having to hunt for the cashier’s station and wait in line earns an A in my book. Top marks for Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg for taking the guest services category!

Final thoughts

I absolutely loved both casinos, which made determining a winner for this competition a little harder than with previous contenders. But for this casino matchup, Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg gets the blue ribbon.

Great job, Lawrenceburg!

Penn Entertainment stands out in my book because of its awesome loyalty rewards program and the free-play options that are available even for new members.

Penn offers new members free play for signing up for the Penn Play rewards program with a valid email address. While I visited Lawrenceburg, I was able to get $30 in free slot play for signing up for a rewards card. Downloading the app gave me another $30, so I was able to get $60 in free slot play in one visit.

Another cool feature with the rewards card is that guests can use it for food and merchandise. Penn will double your credit amount when you use your free play to purchase food.

Overall, the Battle for Hollywood provided Gaming America with two top-tier experiences, so bravo to both. Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg, though, deserves its win!

Laura Mack

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