In a 4-0 vote, the Illinois Gaming Board recently downsized the field of four competitors for a south suburban casino to two. The two left standing are partnerships with tribal gaming enterprises.
Making the cut were proposals from Matteson and a site straddling Homewood and East Hazel Crest. The board eliminated the proposals from Calumet City and Lynwood. The winning community will be announced by early next year, board members said.
Board Chairman Charles Schmadeke said the choices were based on “the quality of the development presentation and the support to and from the local community.” Applications first were submitted two years ago. Each applicant paid a nonrefundable $300,000 fee.
The Matteson bid is led by Hinsdale businessman Rob Miller and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma which operates 22 casinos. They have proposed the $300 million Matteson Casino at the shuttered Lincoln Mall, including a 123,000-square foot casino with 1,300 slots and 42 table games, 200-room hotel and a convention center plus small shops, restaurants and entertainment options surrounding the casino. A temporary casino would open at a nearby Holiday Inn convention center within six months of licensing and a permanent facility would open by mid-2023.
Miller said the casino would be the “anchor of a planned urban renewal project.” He noted the permanent casino would create 600 temporary construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs.
Matteson Village President Sheila Chalmers-Currin said colleagues in the Southland Regional Mayoral Black Caucus voted to back her community’s application. “We are pleased and extremely excited. I think the gaming board saw the commitment to diversity and the community in this project.”
The Homewood-East Hazel Crest $440 million Wind Creek Illinois Casino proposal is led by Alabama-based Wind Creek Hospitality, an enterprise of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which operates 10 casinos. Officials said their $300 million project would offer a 64,000-square-foot casino with 1,350 slots and 56 table games, plus a 252-room hotel, outdoor sky bar and entertainment center.
Wind Creek Chief Executive Officer Jay Dorris said, “This development promises to be the best in and for the entire Southland region, with job creation, economic and community investment, sustained operational excellence and a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion in all phases of construction and operation.”
The rejected Calumet City bid for the $275 million Southland Live Casino at the struggling River Oaks mall was backed by sports legend Bo Jackson and suburban entrepreneur Dan Fischer, whose Rockford casino development was approved by the gaming board despite its investigation into his video gambling business. They would have partnered with Delaware North in the project that would have offered a 150,000-square-foot casino with 1,200 slots and 35 table games, plus a 200-4oom hotel.
Project Manager Timothy Hughes said, “We are disappointed that our proposal, which would open a temporary casino in 90 days to immediately begin revitalizing the economic engine of Calumet City and had extensive community support plus a strong operator with a proven track record, was deemed insufficient to proceed to the next round.”.
Lynwood Mayor Jada Curry opposed the Ho-Chunk Nation’s $290 million Ho-Chunk Casino proposal. It would have included a temporary casino to open within 120 days of licensing, plus a 300-room hotel, sports facilities including a golf simulator, a rock-climbing wall and pickleball courts.
The Gaming Board also is considering two finalists for a new casino license for north suburban Waukegan. They are Las Vegas developer Full House Resorts and Lakeside Casino LLC, led by former state Senator Michael Bond, also a video gaming company owner. Officials said a decision is expected by early 2022.
The chosen south suburban casino host community will keep 2 percent of adjusted gross receipts, and 3 percent will be divided among 42 other regional towns. Homewood-East Hazel Crest, for example, estimated the cities would share in about $3 million annually with another $4 million going to the other communities.
