Rivers Casino Des Plaines on Thursday said it has filed an expansion plan with the City of Des Plaines and the Illinois Gaming Board.
If approved by regulators, the casino intends to add approximately 725 gaming positions, making it the first to have the state’s maximum number of 2,000 positions.
Officials said the proposed 78,000-square-foot expansion will cost $87m.
The plan is to construct new space between the existing casino building and its recently enlarged parking garage on the north side of the property. The first floor of the addition will house a new restaurant and an expanded gaming floor for slots and table games. The second floor will host a 24-table poker room, a 10,000 square-foot ballroom for private events and live entertainment, and a slot machine gaming area.
If approved, construction is expected to begin this spring and be completed by spring 2022.
Rivers is jointly owned by Rush Street Gaming and Churchill Downs Incorporated.
“With this proposed expansion, we will be able to offer our guests more of the entertainment and dining options they enjoy, additional gaming opportunities and a long-desired poker room,” CEO Greg Carlin, co-founder of Rush Street Gaming, said in a statement.
“We are continuing to focus on our guests to earn their loyalty,” added Corey Wise, SVP and GM of Rivers Casino. “BetRivers was the state’s first sportsbook to open and we provided fans with the state’s first mobile sports betting option. When complete, we will be the first casino in Illinois to offer our guests 2,000 gaming positions.”
The City of Des Plaines must approve the addition. Representatives for Rivers said they will begin the formal zoning process in late February.
