Sitting on one of the more desirable gambling sites in the country outside Las Vegas and Atlantic City, Rivers Casino is positioned to draw not only customers from other casinos, observers say, but newcomers from Chicago and the suburbs, conventioneers, and travelers passing through nearby O'Hare International Airport. That is what the owners of Rivers Casino are betting on when it opens Monday, and what other casino operators are trying to head off. 'If I like this casino, I probably won't even go to Harrah's anymore,' she says. But now that the Rivers Casino is opening in nearby Des Plaines, she's ready to change her loyalties.

For the 55-year-old school lunch supervisor, it's a fun little getaway from her home in Northlake. As a frequent customer, she occasionally gets a free meal or hotel room. 'Hopefully our casino will keep changing with the times,' Moylan, a Democrat, said.Once a month, Stephanie Klinger drives an hour to Harrah's Joliet casino, sits in front of the slots with her husband, has a few laughs, and spends about $300. Rivers has had a revenue bump often afforded to new casinos that Moylan hopes the owners can maintain through fresh advertising and amenities.

The casino, which opened in July 2011, is near O'Hare International Airport and Rosemont's entertainment amenities. 31, attributed the Rivers Casino's success to a mix of quality, location and novelty. Marty Moylan, who was Des Plaines' mayor until Dec. The Grand Victoria has seen a 26.1 percent drop in revenues since 2010, and Hollywood has seen 16.6 percent less since that year. The Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin grossed more than $212 million and the Hollywood Casino in Aurora generated nearly $152 million, but those amounts have fallen steadily from the previous two years.Ĭompared to 2011, revenue dropped 17.5 percent for the Grand Victoria and 12.1 percent for the Hollywood Casino. But Rivers' gains may have come at a cost to its suburban casino rivals.

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