Penn Entertainment is to relocate its Ameristar Casino Hotel Council (Ameristar) riverboat casino to a permanent, land-based structure.
Rebranded as Hollywood Casino Council Bluffs (Hollywood Council Bluffs), the new project is expected to cost US$180m–$200m, and has already been approved by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission in conjunction with a 15-year extension of Ameristar’s partnership with the non-profit, qualified sponsoring organisation Iowa West Racing Association.
The new Hollywood Council Bluffs is expected to include roughly 125,000sq.ft of new development with approximately 58,000sq.ft of gaming space.
The existing riverboat, which presently offers gaming spread out over three levels, will be vacated upon opening of the new property.
“We are pleased to add another landside relocation to our pipeline of development projects,” said Todd George, executive vice president of operations for Penn. “This project will enhance the quality and efficiency of our Council Bluffs location and significantly improve the property’s competitive positioning in the greater Omaha market.
“Penn’s diversified portfolio of casino properties is core to our omni-channel approach to entertainment, which combines our best-in-class retail operations and a database of more than 32 million Penn Play members with our robust interactive and media footprint.
“We thank the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission for their approval today and are grateful for the continued collaboration with our partners at the Iowa West Racing Association.”
Construction of the new facility is expected to take approximately 18-24 months following the design and permitting approval process.
