The county board of Williamson, Illinois voted unanimously to approve the new Walker’s Bluff Casino and Resort. The Williamson County Board of Commissioners also finalized the Host Community Agreement.
The $180 million project, approved under last year’s Rebuild Illinois Law, will include a casino with 1,200 gaming machines, a 330-room hotel, a 12,000-square-foot convention and entertainment center, a year-round indoor-outdoor water park, a deluxe spa and restaurants. It will be adjacent to the Walker’s Bluff vineyard.
“The Host Community Agreement shows who the players are in bringing the casino, how we’re going to bring in the casino, who’s involved, who’s the developer going to be and everything else,” Williamson Board Chairman Jim Marlo told local broadcast station WSIL-TV.
“It’s going to have a regional affect by providing jobs. Both temporary jobs and permanent jobs for the area, not just Williamson County. These jobs will be coming from all over.”
Marlo also touted the economic benefits of the new convention center. “We’re going to be able to have conventions that we’ve never been able to have here in southern Illinois, ever,” he said. “We’re going to have a year-round water park. We’re going to have hotels right there.”
The board also has finalized plans for improvements to a road to the casino, in partnership with neighboring Jackson County.
“The intergovernmental agreement that we have with Jackson County is basically an agreement about how we’re going to fix the road,” Marlo said.
The new 500 Nations Indian casino is expected to break ground in the fall.
