Hollywood Casino Indiana

In 1990, the Riverboat Gambling Act legalized riverboat gambling in Illinois. The Act allows for riverboat gambling upon any water within or on the border of the State of Illinois, other than Lake Michigan. Chicago area riverboats are located on the Des Plaines, Fox, Illinois and Mississippi Rivers.

In 1993, Indiana legalized riverboat gambling. Indiana allows riverboat gambling on Lake Michigan and the Ohio River. Iowa legalized riverboat gambling in 1989. Chicago Traveler features one casino in Iowa, located in Bettendorf on the Mississippi River.

Each of these states prohibit boarding by any person under 21 years of age and wagering must be cashless, so tokens and chips are used. All of the casinos offer slot and video machines with various levels of wagering. Table games typically include blackjack, poker, craps, roulette and baccarat. See below for more information on machines and games as well as a link to each casino’s website.

When one can not get out to enjoy river boat gambling there is always online gaming. One can play table games like blackjack online.

Everyone's Going Hollywood

Are you ready to rule the red carpet? Hollywood Casino is the place for you! We'll add dazzle to your days and life to your nights with free admission, pulse-pounding games, incredible restaurants, and great giveaways.

Excitement Comes Alive

With 53,000 square feet of spine-tingling casino action, you'll never run out of ways to play at Hollywood. Get that winning feeling with more than 1,170 of the hottest slots around. We're congratulating new jackpot winners every single day. Our next big winner just might be you! Or challenge lady luck at Hollywood's 26 table games, including a live poker room with Texas Hold'em games seven days a week. Deal yourself in!

Claim Your Place in the Spotlight

Everyone's an A-lister at Hollywood Casino. Come land a starring role in the fun and revel in celebrity perks and super star treatment you won't find anywhere else. With this much excitement all in one place, any time is the right time to go Hollywood!

Penn National Gaming opened its new state-of-the-art riverboat casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana today, near the Kentucky border. The new gaming venue replaces the Argosy Casino, which docked there for thirteen years.

Penn officials noted the upgrade, which was two years in the making, will help safeguard revenues and retain patron loyalty if gambling laws in nearby states change, introducing more competition to the area.

The general manager of the Argosy, Tony Rodio, said the investment in the Hollywood Casino will help "defend our market if and when they (other states) get gaming.”

The new riverboat cost $335 million and contains a 150,000 square foot gambling floor. Over 1000 more customers can gamble at additional slots and table seats for blackjack and roulette than were able to on the Argosy.

The boat will also host a stop on the expanding World Poker Tour.

The Argosy had grown so popular that customers were turned away on weekends, as the 3700 passenger capacity had been filled. The Hollywood will hold over 9000 employees and patrons at one time.

Penn National executives estimate that the new casino will generate between $60 million to $80 million more in revenue over the first twelve months it operates.

When the former Argosy Casino Hotel Lawrenceburg changes its name to Hollywood and introduces a new casino on June 26, it will be the home to four new World Poker Tour® poker tournaments, including the Hollywood Poker Open, a $10,000 WPT Season VIII main event that will be filmed for broadcast on Fox Sports Net in the United States and on leading networks in over 100 countries worldwide. The first WPT tournament at Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg kicks off in August, 2009.

“We are so thrilled to add the Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg to our tour—not only is this our first ever WPT stop in the Midwest, but it’s also our first ever WPT event on a riverboat-style property,” said Steve Lipscomb, WPT founder and chief executive officer. “The Hollywood Casino not only adds a new and unique element to the tour for professional players, but it’s also the perfect property for bringing the WPT experience to players in the Midwest.”

In addition to being one of only eight exclusive properties to host a WPT event in the U.S., one of the major attractions of the new facility will be the addition of a 41-table, World Poker Tour-branded poker room. Hollywood Lawrenceburg will be one of only a few live World Poker Tour poker rooms in the U.S. and the largest poker room of any kind in the Midwest.

Designed for Player Comfort

Guests playing at every Hollywood poker table will sit in leather, high-back chairs, each with lumbar support, adjustable seat-height and rollers for easy movement. Other features include electronic readers so guests can be swiped in and rated as soon as they sit down, and 22 large-screen plasma TVs placed in locations throughout the room to entertain players while they await their next move.

The Hollywood poker room will cater to guests of all skill levels, including those who are looking to step up their game at the casino’s nine-table high limit area situated on a raised platform. Earth tone décor and rich, masculine woods are surrounded by movie stills depicting classic cinema poker scenes.

“Our space compares with the elite poker rooms in Las Vegas,” said Tony Rodio, Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg general manager. “There’s nothing like it in the region, and we expect players throughout the Midwest to travel here and make Cincinnati one of the country’s major poker destinations.”

Hollywood will offer a stream-lined registration process for the new room. Dedicated podiums will be available for individual tournament and high limit area sign-ups, and a state-of-the art tracking system will monitor game and tournament play and page guests when a new seat is available.

Two poker tournaments will be held each day at the Hollywood poker room with weekday start times at 11:15 a.m. and 7:15 p.m. Weekend times will vary by date.

Looking for an exciting adventure 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Then check out Hollywood Casino and Hotel (formerly Argosy Casino) Lawrenceburg, Indiana, just 20 minutes from Cincinnati!
Hollywood Casino, a "Superboat", has over 2,600 of the most innovative and exciting slot and video poker machines on 3 floors. With denominations ranging from 1¢ to $100, you’re sure to find all your favorite slots here.

If table play is more your style, try your hand at some of the most popular table games, including Blackjack, Craps, Roulette & Three Card Poker, just to name a few. Don’t forget to ask about our free table games class each month.

Our Poker Room also has live poker 24/7, with All the best action, all in one room. Try your hand at Seven Card Stud, Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha High & Omaha High/Low Split Eight or Better. Tournaments are going on constantly, be sure to check out our poker room.

Feeling Hungry? Explore the three levels of our pavilion and we’re sure you’ll find something delicious at one of our 4 restaurants. For a quick bite try the hot and cold sandwiches, salads, pizzas, or coffees at Jonathan’s Deli or The Riviera Café.. If you’re looking for sports or live entertainment head to the Chart Room for a juicy cheeseburger and an ice cold drink. The Buffet is open for breakfast, lunch or dinner and always has a fresh selection of traditional favorites and international dishes. Bogart’s Grille has a sumptuous array of steaks, fresh seafood and delicious pasta dishes.

The brand new Hollywood casino facility in Lawrenceburg produced $44.5 million in revenue during its first full month in business, a twenty percent improvement over its predecessor's gaming performance during the same time one year ago. The July gaming performance brings to $247 million the total revenue produced by Hollywood parent company Penn National Gaming Incorporated, which invested a total of $326 million to improve its Lawrenceburg operation.

Penn National told investors in late July 2009 that the Lawrenceburg gaming facility would show double digit profit growth. But they also said that it would take 3 to 4 quarters to get the establishment fully operational.

The president and Chief Operating Officer of Wyomissing, Pa.-based gaming organization, Timothy Wilmott said on August 10th, 2009 that what they are seeing in Lawrenceburg is a lot of new customers coming into play but a lot of the growth is coming from different segments.

The July figures, which were released by the Indiana Gaming Commission, show Penn National's revenue has reached $247 million through July. That is down by nine percent for the year. Other casino facilities in Southeast Indiana saw revenue declines of 9% in July. The Belterra casino facility reported adjusted gross earnings of $13.4 million, down by 9.1% from last July; the Grand Victoria casino is down by 9.8% to $9.9 million.

Penn National took an $11.7 million impairment expense in the 2nd quarter for issues associated with shutting down the old casino and opening a new gaming facility. Wilmott told gaming investors it took longer and cost more than they expected to move the casino equipment from one boat to another. The cost against earnings was one of the factors in Penn National's 23% net income drop for the quarter.