Rivers Casino expansion gets go-ahead

A proposed $87m expansion of Rivers Casino in Des Plaines in the US state of Illinois has received the green light by city leaders.

The next step for the project – set to bring more gambling machines, a poker room, an events center and a new restaurant to the facility – is consent from the Illinois Gaming Board. A gaming board vote hasn’t been scheduled, but the project “is in front of them,” Rivers spokesman Dennis Culloton said.

Plans call for the two-storey addition to be built between the existing casino building and the four-storey parking garage on the north side of the 20-acre property. If approved, the addition will add 78,000sq.ft to the 140,363sq.ft casino building, which opened in 2011.

Gambling space will expand by 33,000sq.ft, city documents indicate. The number of gambling positions would increase by 699 to about 2,000.