Des Plaines casino giving away 100 VIP tickets

One hundred lucky winners will get exclusive access to the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines ahead of its opening to the public in mid-July.

Casino officials are giving away the VIP tickets to the grand opening through a lottery drawing.

Winners will be given the red-carpet treatment at an invitation-only party with food, entertainment, and celebrity guests, a casino publicity spokeswoman said. Jim Belushi & The Sacred Hearts band will be among the entertainers during the event.

The casino is expected to open July 18 pending regulatory approval by the Illinois Gaming Board. The date of the party has not been set, officials said.

Winners have not been selected at this time. For details about the lottery, visit playrivers.com.

Visitors to the casino must be at least 21 years old. The lottery is not open to any participant of the Illinois Gaming Board Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program.

Guests will be able to gamble live during the event, pending regulatory approval, officials said.

Rivers Casino, 3000 S. Des Plaines River Road, is situated on roughly 20 acres at the northwest corner of River Road and Devon Avenue, off the Tri-State Tollway.

The 44,000-square-foot gambling floor will house about 1,200 gambling positions and offer a variety of dining options, including Hugo’s Frog Bar and Chop House, MianBar Asian noodle shop, FLIPT casual grill, a buffet, cafe and pastry shop, and a cocktail lounge.