At first glance, Hollywood Casino Aurora looks like a typical casino. It’s got the grand entrance and the big parking lot, and, inside, there are rows upon rows of slots and table games.
But the casino is anything but typical; it’s part of the dying breed of riverboat casinos that are moving from water to land as gambling becomes more widely accepted in the United States.
Earlier this year, Penn Entertainment, the casino’s owner won approval from the Illinois Gaming Board to move the casino from the calm waters of Fox River to the dry land of Stolp Island. The casino’s future move punctuates the final chapters of what once was a thriving industry in states where gambling was once taboo.
