Full House Resorts gets extension to open permanent Waukegan casino
Full House Resorts is finalizing plans to build a $400 million casino resort called American Place in Waukegan, Illinois. But a lawsuit filed by the Potawatomi community of Forest County against the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) and the city of Waukegan has delayed the groundbreaking of a gaming destination designed to cater to and attract VIP players.
Las Vegas-based Full House Resorts won Waukegan’s bid for the city’s only gaming license in 2021. In December of that year, the company received IGB approval for its Plaza America project.
Under the Gambling Act passed in 2019, casinos can open "temporary gaming facilities" while their permanent resorts are under construction. Full House opened The Temporary at American Place on February 17, 2023, offering slots and table games. Sports betting was added last month.
Illinois gaming law requires temporary casinos to operate for up to two years, meaning Plaza America must open by Feb. 17, 2025.
Lawsuit Wins Appeal
The Forest County Potawatomi Community is a federally recognized tribe that owns and operates Milwaukee's Potawatomi Hotel and Casino. The Native American community had hoped to expand its economic portfolio by opening its first commercial casino above Waukegan, about 45 miles south of its sovereign community.
An outside consultant reviewed the city's casino offerings and Potawatomi Plaza ranked first or second in every category compared to three other offerings. However, city officials rejected the tribe's proposal early in the bidding process because the tribe had minimal funding for the Fountain Plaza shopping center where Plaza America would be built.
Tribal attorneys claim in a lawsuit filed in Cook County that the bidding process was "rigged" and "sham." The tribe accused then-Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham of telling city council members which mitzvahs they approved of.
Cook County Judge Cecilia Horan dismissed the tribe's lawsuit in December 2021. But when Full House completed Plaza America last August and submitted the resort design to city planning and zoning officials, Potawatomi's appeal was upheld by the 1st District Court of Appeal.
A decision by the Court of Appeal to review the case prevents construction on Full House from starting. Attorneys representing IGB and Waukegan have appealed the decision to the Illinois Supreme Court, but the state's top court is not expected to rule until January.
Full House is not involved in the Potawatomi lawsuit.
Project suspended
The Illinois General Assembly passed legislation earlier this month to amend the Gambling Act of 2019 to allow for the extension of temporary casino operations if certain conditions are met.
The bill specifically seeks to allow The Temporary by American Place to continue operating after February 17, 2025, as the completion date for a permanent resort appears to be unattainable. Gov. JB Pritzker (D) is expected to sign the measure once it reaches his desk.
Alex Stolyar, Full House senior vice president and chief development officer, said the company is unable to secure financing while litigation continues over the project.
“Everything is on hold until the legal dispute against the city and state is resolved,” he explained.
American Palace is said to offer "advanced gaming" for the "most discerning gamers." In addition to world-class dining and a 1,500-seat entertainment center, the resort will feature a 20-room all-suite hotel "designed specifically for the casino's VIP players." The hotel portion, called "The Mansion," will also include private villas measuring up to 2,500 square feet.
Read also:
- Football 101: What is relegation in football?
- North Carolina sports betting won't be available in time for Super Bowl
- Sands may face lengthy legal battle over New York casino acquisition
- Star Sydney fined $60,000 after serving 12 drinks to woman in four hours
Source: www.casino.org
