Harrah's Joliet, Riverboat casino in Joliet, Illinois
Harrah's Joliet is a riverboat casino on the Des Plaines River in Joliet, Illinois, operating on two connected barges. The single-level gaming floor is part of a larger complex that also holds a hotel with over 200 rooms, several restaurants, and a covered parking garage linked to the building by a skywalk.
The casino opened in 1993 with two navigating vessels named the Northern Star and Southern Star that traveled the Des Plaines River. In 2001, those ships were replaced by permanently docked barges, allowing for a larger and more stable operation.
The casino sits on the Des Plaines River and reflects a tradition of riverboat gambling that took root in Illinois in the early 1990s. Inside, the Art Deco style draws on the look of the great Midwestern river steamers that once traveled these waterways.
The entrance to the gaming area is accessible directly from the hotel lobby and from the covered parking garage, so there is no need to walk outside. The skywalk connecting the garage to the main building is especially useful in winter or during rain.
When it opened, this casino was the first in Illinois to offer a fully single-level gaming floor on barges, which was unusual for gambling boats at the time. Illinois law originally required the vessels to actually cruise while guests played, so people were gambling on a moving boat before the rules changed in 2001.
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