PENN Entertainment Celebrates Grand Opening of Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora

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All-New, Land-Based Entertainment Destination Offers Guests Gaming, Entertainment, World-Class Dining, Premier Hotel and Wellness Spa

WYOMISSING, Pa. & AURORA, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- PENN Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: PENN) (“PENN” or the “Company”) today celebrates the grand opening of Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora, the all-new, $360 million state-of-the-art casino and hotel. PENN’s latest land-based property replaces the former riverboat property that operated on the Illinois shores of the Fox River since 1993.

PENN is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony this afternoon that will include Illinois Gaming Board officials, area dignitaries, state legislators, and team members prior to opening to the public at 8:30pm CST. Inside, guests will experience over 1,000 of the newest slot machines, over 50 table games and a baccarat room, a retail sportsbook, elevated national and Chicagoland celebrity-led dining, a 226-room premier hotel and wellness spa, event center, and, above all, a prime guest experience.

“We are proud to officially welcome guests and players to the exciting, all-new Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora,” said Jay Snowden, CEO and President of PENN Entertainment. “Together with our landside move in Joliet last summer, we have reinvested over $500 million in the Chicagoland market over the last three years, resulting in more jobs, meaningful state and local tax revenue, and further enhancing the region as a must-visit destination. Our roots in Aurora run deep, and we are committed to extending our 33-year legacy as a leader in world-class dining, hospitality, entertainment, gaming, and guest experience for years to come.”

“Today marks an exciting new chapter for Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora, made possible through support from the city of Aurora, the Illinois Gaming Board, and all of our partners, including the hundreds of tradesmen and women who built this incredible new property from the ground up,” said Rafael Verde, Senior Vice President of Regional Operations for PENN. “We are grateful for these partnerships and are eager to showcase the collaborative effort to transition from riverboat gaming to an entertainment destination.”

The roughly 388,500 square foot facility employs approximately 700 team members and supported roughly 700 construction jobs. Open seven days a week and 24 hours a day, the fun and excitement will continue 365 days a year.

Gaming Floor
Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora’s gaming floor features over 1,000 of the latest video reel slot and video poker machines, as well as over 50 exciting table games, including blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, and more. The Sportsbook includes one of Chicagoland’s largest TV screens to create the ultimate watching experience, sports betting tellers, and sports wagering and racing kiosks, along with interactive games.

Dining and Entertainment
Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora features multiple world-class dining options throughout the property, including many options for guests of all ages.

PENN partnered with celebrity chef and entrepreneur Giada De Laurentiis to create Sorella by Giada, an elevated Italian steakhouse that combines De Laurentiis’ signature fusion of classic Italian cuisine and modern California influence. The restaurant seats roughly 170 guests with both indoor and outdoor options and features a unique menu of handmade pastas, steaks, and more.

Boulevard Food & Drink Hall is a dynamic dining experience operated by McClain Camarota Hospitality, which was founded by James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Shawn McClain. Open to all ages with both indoor seating and an outdoor patio with a fire feature, Boulevard Food & Drink Hall includes Chicago favorites Antique Taco and Pretty Cool Ice Cream, as well as Five50 Pizza, Stephanie Izard’s Lucky Goat, Tabo Sushi by Takashi Yagihashi, and Urbanbelly.

In addition to the numerous betting opportunities and massive screen highlighting the hottest sports action from around the world, The Sportsbook is also a full-service, classic casual restaurant that seats roughly 163 patrons in the dining room and bar. Guests can enjoy a wide array of food and beverage options, featuring favorites such as burgers, crispy wings, sandwiches, and shareables, plus a wide selection of craft and domestic beers and hand-crafted cocktails.

Red Lotus Asian Kitchen will serve patrons authentic made-to-order Asian cuisine, featuring popular noodle and southeast Asian specialties designed to excite the senses in a sleek, modern designed open kitchen. Nearby on the gaming floor is &Vine, a 110-seat bar and entertainment lounge offering distinctive beverages and will be host to various artists for guests to enjoy.

In addition, Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora’s 12,000 square foot event center and meeting rooms are adaptable to accommodate weddings, galas, community events, concerts, sports events, conferences, and more. The event center is accessible for all ages and offers an outdoor entertainment courtyard for special events.

Hotel and Wellness Spa
Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora’s all-new seven-story hotel adds 226 standard rooms and premier suites to the Aurora area and features modern amenities, state-of-the-art in-room technology, a fitness center, and a seamless design throughout the facility. Guests will have room service options as well as full indoor access to the property’s food hall, celebrity chef restaurant, bars and live entertainment lounges, thrilling gaming areas, and wellness spa.

Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora’s Drift Spa blends classic spa treatment with hair and beauty services, including 11 stations for hair, makeup, and nails, plus seven dedicated rooms for massage therapies. In addition, Drift Spa will debut Drift Drybar, a refined hybrid concept pairing high-end, non-chemical salon services with elevated hospitality.

PENN Play™ Rewards Program
Guests can elevate their experience with PENN Play, PENN Entertainment’s industry-leading loyalty program, available at more than 35 destinations nationwide. This free membership offers exclusive access to events, experiences, and personalized rewards across gaming, dining, hotel stays, entertainment, and a network of partners.

With five membership tiers—Play, Advantage, Preferred, Elite, and Owners Club, members enjoy benefits such as priority access, premium partner perks, and personalized offers. Members can easily track their rewards and tier progress through the PENN Play app, which also manages their loyalty dollars “PENN Cash”, redeemable for PENN SlotPlay, hotel stays, dining, and more. Once members reach 3,000 Tier Points, they unlock Real Time Rewards, delivering instant PENN Cash bonuses. The program also proudly features PENN Heroes, honoring active-duty military, veterans, and first responders with exclusive benefits, including annual tier upgrades, hotel and dining discounts, and special promotions.

About Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora
The new Hollywood Casino and Hotel Aurora, operated by PENN Entertainment, is now open at 2500 N. Farnsworth Ave. adjacent to the Chicago Premium Outlets near Interstate 88 in Aurora, Ill. The best-in-class facility will feature roughly 1,200 gaming positions, a premium hotel with 226 rooms, a retail sportsbook, outdoor entertainment area, full-service spa, high-quality bars and restaurants including Sorella by Giada, an approximately 12,000-square-foot event center with meeting areas and approximately 1,700 parking spaces. The new entertainment destination recently replaced the former riverboat located on the Fox River in downtown Aurora, Illinois, since 1993. For more information, visit: www.hollywoodcasinoaurora.com.

About PENN Entertainment, Inc.
PENN Entertainment, Inc., together with its subsidiaries (“PENN,” or the “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us”), operates in 27 jurisdictions throughout North America, with a broadly diversified portfolio of casinos, racetracks, and online sports betting and iCasino offerings. PENN’s focus is on organic cross-sell opportunities, reinforced by its market-leading retail casinos, sports media assets and technology, including a proprietary state-of-the-art, fully integrated digital sports betting and iCasino platform, and an in-house iCasino content studio. The Company’s portfolio is further bolstered by its industry-leading PENN Play™ customer loyalty program, offering its approximately 34 million members a unique set of rewards and experiences.

Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “expects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “goal,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “look forward to,” or “anticipates” or the negative or other variations of these or similar words, or by discussions of future events, strategies or risks and uncertainties. These statements are based upon management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates and are not guarantees of timing, future results, or performance. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated in these statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those factors described in PENN Entertainment’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including PENN Entertainment's current reports on Form 8-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except for PENN Entertainment’s ongoing obligations under the U.S. federal securities laws, PENN Entertainment undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260624801828/en/

Media Contact:
Jeff Morris
VP, Public Affairs
PENN Entertainment, Inc.
jeff.morris@pennentertainment.com
610/373-2400

Mike Nieves
SVP, Finance & Treasurer
PENN Entertainment, Inc.
mike.nieves@pennentertainment.com
610/373-2400

Source: PENN Entertainment, Inc.