Work on the permanent American Place Resort & Casino in Waukegan, which has been slated to take place through August of 2023, can resume after the Illinois Supreme Court ended litigation in which casino owner Full House Resorts Never Partyed Were.
As soon as Full House senior vice president and chief development officer Alex Stoller learned of the court’s decision, he said a lesson on the permanent facility would be in the works again as the company’s temporary U.S. location continues to work on the casino’s permanent site. Are.
“We can now get back to working with our architects and engineers to complete construction plans,” Stolyar said. “We will work diligently to ensure that we open by the current August, 2027, deadline for temporary casino operations.”
Waukegan Potawatomi Casino’s challenge to the license issued by the Illinois Gaming Board to Full House in 2021 was properly dismissed by the Cook County Circuit Court in 2021, the Illinois Supreme Court said Friday in Springfield. .
Two days before the gaming board was set to award the Waukegan casino license in November of 2021, the Potawatomi asked the Cook County Circuit Court to stop the board from doing so. The court denied the Potawatomi’s request and the license was granted.
After the board issued Full House a temporary operating permit in February of 2023, and an owner’s permit that June, the Illinois Appellate Court reversed the order, ruling that the Potawatomi had a right to a hearing. The board of directors and the city appealed to the Supreme Court.
With the lawsuit over, Stoller said that Full House was ready to return to work on its permanent casino. The effort stopped during the appeals process shortly after the Waukegan Planning and Zoning Commission gave the permanent plans a positive recommendation in August of 2023.
“We are excited that this roadblock blocking economic growth for Waukegan and Illinois has been removed and we can continue working to make this exciting project a reality,” Stoller said.
Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor was thrilled with the court’s decision, and looks forward to the benefits that the permanent resort and casino will bring to the city and region. This goes beyond the dollars generated, she said.
“I’m very excited about this opportunity, and what it does for us,” Taylor said. “It is not only good for income, but it will also bring in a lot of tourists. This is what we are really waiting for. ,
When Waukegan first began entertaining proposals from casino operators to recommend to the Gaming Board in 2019, Pottawatomie was one of four, along with Full House, Northpoint and Rivers. The City Council recommended Full House, Northpoint, and Rivers to the board, but not Potawatomi.
In its opinion, the Supreme Court wrote that Waukegan was only within its rights in recommending Full House, Northpoint and Rivers, and that the Board properly considered that the city had sent a recommendation.
“The (Gaming) Act does not confer on the Board the power to revoke owners’ licenses based on municipal statutory noncompliance,” the court wrote in its opinion. “The board acted in accordance with the law.”
Waukegan also acted properly, according to the court’s opinion. The city is free to pick one or more potential operators to recommend to the Gaming Board, and reject whoever it chooses. The Potawatomi had no right to complain when he said it.
“Potawatomi Casino filed its action two years after the certification process ended,” the court wrote.
Shortly after the Potawatomi’s application was rejected by Waukegan, it filed a separate lawsuit against the city of Waukegan, alleging civil rights violations. That case was taken to federal court.
Last year, the judge in the federal case issued a summary judgment in Waukegan’s favor. The ruling is on appeal to the U.S. Circuit Court for the Seventh Circuit. This does not affect the license.
The permanent resort and casino will have a 20-suite, five-star luxury hotel built like a mansion, a helipad, 100 table games, 1,640 slot machines and a 1,500-seat entertainment venue, according to a submission to the planning commission.