THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2008
South Suburban Country Club Hills 'Gambles' On License
By TODD WESSELL
Journal & Topics Editor
An application for a casino in far South suburban Country Club Hills will be submitted to the Illinois Gaming Board by its Oct. 14 deadline, according to Mayor Dwight Welch.
Applications to obtain the state's 10th and last available riverboat casino licenses are also expected to be submitted for operations in Des Plaines, Rosemont, Waukegan, Summit and possibly one or two other communities.
The Gaming Board on Oct. 15 will identify the names of all applicants and eventually narrow the list down to three finalists. A winner will be named by the end of the year, gaming officials have said.
Competition for the license will likely be fierce with each applicant including in their pitch a sum of upfront money they will pay to the state along with identifying the names of casino owners and developers. Two proposals are expected to be submitted for operations in Des Plaines and one for Rosemont. Those two cities are considered prime host communities because of their close proximity to O'Hare Airport where travelers on lengthy layovers can be transported to and from the gaming operation.
Mayor Welch declined to identify the name of Country Club Hill's casino partner saying they have asked him to keep quiet on the subject until the Gaming Board receives applications. He also said that it's highly unlikely that the sums of upfront money operators will pledge to pay the state for the right to obtain the casino license will approach what was proposed four years ago. Some of those proposals called for upfront money around or exceeding $500 million. Welch said the slow economy as well as other factors such as a ban on smoking in casinos will lead to smaller big amounts.
State officials put a halt to the casino bidding process four years ago after accusations of mob influence surfaced.