Waukegan Aldermen Vote on Casino Proposals

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Casino proposals are set to be chosen by Aldermen in the north suburbs of Waukegan. Four remaining casino developers are hoping to be selected as the developers of the coveted Lake County casino. However, the voting session of the Aldermen is not the only step that the casino bidders will have to pass. Once the Aldermen have voted on the casino proposal they favour, they will have to forward it to the Illinois Gaming Board for final approval.

Five casino development groups had initially submitted their casino proposals to the gambling officials in Waukegan. However, one casino bidder dropped out of consideration for the development of the Waukegan casino. The city hired a firm based in Chicago to review the casino proposals that had been submitted.

The report that was released by the Chicago firm pegged Full House Resorts as the top competitor for consideration. North Point Casino is following closely behind in a rating scale that is based on points. The third position was taken by the group that runs Rivers Casino.

casino proposal for Waukegan casino

Casino Proposals Ratings Anger Some Bidders

The ranking of the presented casino proposals has not been well-received by some casino bidders. This includes Neil Bluhm, the Rush Street chairman and real estate mogul. Bluhm complained that the report drafted by the consulting firm ignored the offer that was revised and submitted earlier this month. Neil Bluhm wrote his concerns in a letter to the city officials.

Jeff Crawford, an attorney representing the Wisconsin tribe, told the media that the ranking raised a few red flags. The proposal of the Waukegan Potawatomi Casino was ranked last in the report. He further said that the casino proposals that will create the least number of jobs and will have little economic impact had been ranked number 1 and number 2. He also told the media that an explanation was not given for these rankings.

The 18-page report was commissioned by Waukegan officials to help them evaluate the different casino proposals received. The city told the consulting firm that they don’t just want a casino but an entertainment destination.

Potawatomi Negotiating with Waukegan Officials

On Tuesday Potawatomi announced that it would negotiate with the city officials to allow them to invest in another development project downtown. However, the negotiation is based on the casino bidder’s proposal being chosen. The attorney of the group told the media that they had identified several economic opportunities in the city.

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