Hard Rock International announces a proposal for a Hard Rock Casino in Rockford.
CEO Jim Allen doesn’t seem too concerned about potential competition from the Ho-Chunk Casino project in Beloit.
“We are aware of that potential project,” Allen said Tuesday afternoon. “But candidly, that project’s been talked about for so long, so we look at Rockford as an opportunity that stands on its own two feet.”
Rockford issued a request for casino proposals, and Hard Rock is the first major announcement for a bid.
Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen was on hand for the announcement with Hard Rock.
“I’ve been to half of the Hard Rock’s around the world, and there’s a guitar in almost every one of them, of mine,” The Rockford native said. “And I have nothing here.”
Illinois passed gambling expansion legislation last month, opening a gaming license for Rockford.
The Ho-Chunk project in Beloit is still waiting for federal approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Hard Rock International is owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
