The vessel is adjacent to the pavilion that houses additional food outlets (see below), as well as a gift shop and ballroom/meeting facilities. The vessel boasts two public areas: a main gaming floor with special high limit, poker, and Asian gaming sections and additional gaming space, a 3,400 capacity entertainment space – The Venue, and a buffet. The current casino facility – a combination of the vessel plus a pavilion – opened on Aug. In 2004 Harrah’s Entertainment bought the Horseshoe and built a new vessel. It was re-branded as Horseshoe Casino Hammond on May 4, 2001. A 25-minute drive from downtown Chicago and located in the middle of an industrial area, Horseshoe Hammond was originally the Empress Casino, opening in 1996 as a 54,000-square-foot, four-level gaming vessel.
