The Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Ill., opened in the summer of 2011 after years of talk and debate about allowing a casino in the O’Hare International Airport (ORD) area. From all reports, it has been a major success. My nephew and I visited the casino earlier this week, and we were impressed with the facility and operations.
The first thing that we experienced was a user-friendly parking garage. Colored lights hung over each parking space. A red light meant the space was filled, while a green light (blue for handicapped) meant the space was empty. This allows drivers to skip aisles showing all red lights. It’s a simple but nice feature. The garage was also roomy, well-lit and clean.
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The casino houses 43,000 square feet of gambling action, including 1,050 slots and 48 game tables. That is about average for the casinos in this area. There was a nice mix of games, although penny slots seemed a bit scarce. We tried our luck at a couple tables (poker and pai gow) and found the dealers to be friendly and helpful.
There are seven dining choices in the casino. The Canopy is a large buffet. The Cube was a lively bar with several flat screens. Hugo’s is a steak and chop house operated by Gibson’s. The other choices looked quite popular, too.
My only small complaint was the absence of hand-sanitizers within the casino. While I am not a germaphobe, I do like an occasional shot of hand sanitizer. Most casinos have automatic hand sanitizers in abundance.
It was a fun experience, and I would certainly go again. For travelers at O’Hare with some time to kill, Rivers Casino can be an option. I think Rivers will do quite well, and the area will benefit, too.
— John Wroblewski, distribution specialist
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