Why Do People Call Rockford ‘Rock Vegas?’

The other day, as I was driving to Don Carter Lanes, I drove past a business called "Rock Vegas Events." I was with my boyfriend at the time and it prompted me to ask him,  "honey, why do people call Rockford 'Rock Vegas'?"

I've heard it called that several times, by my friend Matt, some of the local DJs call it that and it just left me scratching me head in confusion. So, I thought I would ask people who've been in the Stateline area a lot longer than I have and I got a great mix of answers.

One that made the most sense had to do with gambling becoming legal in the state of Illinois. Rumor has it, the first year that it was legal, the state made $6 million and apparently $4 million of that came from Rockford. But others said that they've heard people call it Rock Vegas way before gambling became legal here.

So, why do people call it "Rock Vegas?" Here's your answers. (You can click on the comments box to see the answers on Facebook.)

Why do you think people call Rockford, "Rock Vegas?"