Hard Rock Casino Rockford finally opens, delay causes customer frustrations

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Hard Rock Casino Rockford is finally open to all guests and despite a bumpy start, customers were eager to enter.

The lucky first guest in line is a Rockford native and traveled from Texas to see the Casino in action. Hard Rock allowed guests to begin lining up at 1 p.m., but guest Jess and her family were there earlier.

“We got here at 12, we stood in line at 12 and then just met a couple of people here, locals,” Jess said. “We’re all we all have the same goals. I hope to win a lot of money.”

Most guests in line said they’re excited for the slots and the chance to win big, but one guest in particular is excited for everything else Hard Rock has to offer.

“I’m really looking forward to all the different music that they’re going to have here,” Belvidere resident Paul Turner said. “They’re going to have everything from country to rock to folk. It’s going to be actually fantastic for the community.”

The Casino was scheduled to open at 3 p.m. this afternoon but the opening ceremony took a little longer than expected and the doors did not open until 3:30 p.m. As the heat of the day ramped up, some customers were dehydrated and a few even passed out. Many shared their frustrations.

“We’ve got people passing out. It’s supposed to open at three, but because of the politicians, we can’t get in,” Rockford resident LuAnne said.

“They need to be time sensitive to everyone that standing out here; they have been waiting for almost two, three hours just to actually go in,” Rockford resident Amanda Powers said.

“It’s wrong on so many levels,” Rockford resident Margo Rhymer said. “People are falling down, needing cold air, something to drink. We got something to drink, but it’s not going to solve the problem.”

Turner said he’s looking forward to the tourism the Casino will bring for the future of our area.

“I think there are a lot of people are going to travel quite some distance just to check out the venue and then if they like that particular artist, they’re going to drive for miles and then be able to see the artists and stay here at the same time,” Turner said. “It’s going be great.

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