South Suburbs New Casino
Bets remain open for the site of a future Chicago casino, but proposals are already emerging for gaming venues at a handful of south suburban sites.
Legislation awaiting Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature would create a casino license for the south suburbs and allow a combined racetrack and casino in the region as well, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Political and business leaders in Tinley Park are promoting a plan to build the so-called “racino” on the site of the closed 280-acre Tinley Park Mental Health Center campus. Village officials are looking to partner with Rick Heidner, owner of Gold Rush Gaming, on the project..
Artist’s rendering of a proposed Ho-Chunk casino in south suburban Lynwood. Provided by Ho-Chunk Nation A second south suburb has put its cards on the table with a bid to land the area’s long-coveted, newly authorized casino. Jun 29, 2019 Read more Alabama Tribe Proposes Casino in South Suburbs of Chicago October 8, 2019 - Wind Creek Hospitality, the gaming and hospitality company of Alabama's Poarch Creek Indians, has proposed a $275M casino in the suburbs of East Hazel Crest and Homewood. Read more More Headlines.
Oct 14, 2019 The south suburban village of Matteson unveiled plans for a new casino and hotel on Monday less than two weeks after two other south suburban communities announced their own plans for a casino. Jan 30, 2020 The Matteson group is competing against casino development pitches from three other south suburban locales, all fighting for the lone license: Calumet City, Lynwood and another straddling the border of Homewood and East Hazel Crest. And Matteson wasn’t the only casino group looking to update its application on Thursday.
Officials East Hazel Crest and Homewood, meanwhile, are courting an out-of-town gaming operator to build a casino near the intersection of Halsted Street and the Tri-State Tollway. But a competing proposal would put the casino on a 58-acre plot of farmland in Lynwood and Ford Heights, near the intersection of Illinois 394 and U.S. 30.
The gambling expansion bill approved by lawmakers would create six new casino licenses, allow three existing racetracks to add casino games and allow the creation of two new “racinos.” One of the casinos would go in Chicago, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot said her staff would study potential sites before getting behind any specific proposal.
South Suburbs New Casino Near Me
The new casinos could create competition for Neil Bluhm, managing partner of Walton Street Capital, who is also chairman of the Rush Street gaming company. Rush Street owns the Rivers Casino in northwest suburban Des Plaines but so far does not plan to pursue any of the new casino licenses, according to the Sun-Times. [Chicago Sun-Times] — Alex Nitkin