The DeKalb County, Illinois board will vote August 19 on a resolution supporting efforts to have federal officials take into trust 129 acres of land the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation has owned near Shabbona since 1829 for the purpose of opening a 24-hour bingo hall with 800 electronic bingo games It would be the first Native American gambling facility in the state.
Tribal Chairwoman Liana Onnen said, “It’s going to be an economic engine and a job creator in this community,” stating the facility would create 400 new jobs with a $17 million annual payroll, attract 930,000 visitors annually and contribute $12 million to the local economy. However, County Board Chairman Mark Pietrowski said, “It seems like a high number to me. My thoughts are they, at least, believe that there will be a draw and it’s worth building that facility.”
The county and the tribe signed an intergovernmental agreement wherein the county would receive the greater of $800,000 or 2.5 percent of the casino’s net annual profits. The tribe also must make a one-time payment of $15,000, pay $2,500 annually to the county health department for gambling addiction services and make annual contributions to local nonprofits.
Shabbona Village President Claudia Hicks noted the tribe would pay up to $772,000 for infrastructure requirements, and the village would have to supply the bingo hall’s water and wastewater. “We’re a small town. It’s very hard for us to get anything into Shabbona. Anything that I think we could get to help us, I would support it,” Hicks said. Currently the land is used for agricultural purposes.
DeKalb County Taxpayers Against the Casino form the opposition. President Peter Doral said, “The tribe has never come up with a compelling argument for why they should be able to build a casino on this land. This land should not receive status as reservation land. It should not be removed from the jurisdiction of the county and the state of Illinois.”
Onnen said the facility would not require a state license, but would be regulated by the National Indian Gaming Commission. Furthermore, she stated the “land trust was not a requirement,” but having it in federal trust would help mitigate legal issues that could arise.
Onnen noted the federally recognized tribe was not required to pay taxes on the land but since 2007 has been paying money to the county.
