The frustrating licensing process for a south suburban Chicago casino finally is moving forward.
At a special meeting October 13, the four gaming license applicants for the south suburb’s casino and the three applicants for the Waukegan gaming license will make their case to the Illinois Gaming Board. The board later will narrow the list of south suburban candidates from four to three. Then the board will announce its findings of “preliminary suitability” by early January, Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter said.
The meeting will give the south suburban communities a chance to “state our case of why we have the best site. All in all, it’s a good opportunity to get that done,” said Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld. Homewood and East Hazel Crest are proposing a site straddling both communities, to be developed by Wind Creek LLC which is partnering with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.
Calumet City and its partner Delaware North have proposed a site that includes part of the River Oaks shopping center for a casino and related development. Delaware North Regional General Manager Osi Imomoh said the company plans to open a temporary casino within 90 days if it’s awarded the license. “The forward momentum is exciting because Southland Live Casino is eager to start creating jobs, generating tax revenue and giving back to the community,” Imomoh said.
Lynwood is partnering with the Ho-Chunk Nation and Matteson is teaming with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma to develop a casino at the former Lincoln Mall site.
The original deadline for awarding the south suburban license was October 2020, but Covid-19 caused delays, Fruchter said. The state hired Christiansen Capital Advisors in July to assist in vetting the applicants and their proposals. Fruchter said Christiansen has extensive experience evaluating the economics, taxation and regulation of leisure and entertainment businesses like casinos and sports betting.
The delays led five area state legislators to send a letter to Governor J.B. Pritzker, asking him to use his influence to try to move the process along. The lawmakers wrote, “Every day that we delay the casino project in the Southland, where annual household incomes range as low as $27,000, means another day that families in our area are denied chances to win better jobs and better incomes.”
In May 2019, the Illinois legislature approved a bill to expand the state’s casino licenses beyond the current 10. Chicago, Danville, Rockford and Williamson County were approved for casino licenses along with the south suburbs and Waukegan. The legislation also authorized a racino, but the location hasn’t been finalized.
