Their hopes for piles of gambling cash all but dashed last year, suburban leaders were salivating Wednesday at the possibility that Illinois’ 10th casino license may be in play once again.
After Tuesday’s decision by the Illinois Gaming Board to strip Emerald Casino of the state’s only unused riverboat gambling license, officials with several northeastern Illinois communities said they are revisiting shelved proposals.
Mayors from Waukegan and Summit already are talking up their towns’ advantages again, declaring they are ready to mount a new campaign for the license. And Des Plaines officials hope to meet soon with a company that spearheaded the northwest suburb’s earlier bid for the license.
Emerald had hoped to build its casino in Rosemont, which won a court victory Wednesday that the northwest suburb hopes will slow any action on the license. But experts said they expect the Gaming Board to move quickly to award it to a new bidder.
“I would suspect that the Gaming Board will move toward trying to release that license,” said Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino and Gaming Association. “In the meantime, I think anybody who is interested in that should be moving forward with their plans.”
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court told the state it could not sell the license until there was a ruling on a Rosemont lawsuit, claiming the Gaming Board must sell the license to Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. as part of a previous effort to auction the license.
State officials downplayed the significance of the decision because the case is expected to be decided sometime this winter, long before the state planned to begin selling the license.
Even if the Gaming Board tries to award the license swiftly, Summit Mayor Joseph Strzelczyk expects legal battles to last through much of next year. But Strzelczyk said the faster the board moves to award the license, the better.
“I tell you what, they better let us out of the cage–we’ll be scratching and clawing” for the opportunity to get the license, Strzelczyk said Wednesday. “This would be a tremendous opportunity to serve the poor south suburbs, not only with money, but with jobs.”
Waukegan Mayor Richard Hyde, whose city lost out to Rosemont in 2004 despite a higher bid, said Tuesday’s decision righted a wrong.
“I think it’s amazing. I have faith in the Gaming Board now,” said Hyde, who called the 2004 process “the biggest farce I’ve ever seen in my life.”
In its bid last year, Waukegan worked with Harrah’s, which offered $520 million for the license. Isle of Capri, working with Rosemont, won with a $518 million bid.
Waukegan would be willing to resubmit its plan or modify it, Hyde said.
Several other towns, including Summit and Des Plaines, also have kept in touch with the companies that offered bids for the license, officials said.
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“We actually are trying to set up a meeting with our potential developer,” Midwest Gaming & Entertainment, said David Niemeyer, village manager for Des Plaines.
Midwest Gaming continues to hold an option on property where it likely would build the casino if it got the license, Niemeyer said.
The 1990 law that allowed riverboat gambling in Illinois requires that casino licenses benefit economically struggling communities, so more-affluent towns like Rosemont have promised in their bids to share tax money with poor communities. Poorer suburbs have argued they have a better claim to the 10th license and also would share the revenues.
On Wednesday, officials from several towns again made that point.
“It’s the time for the South Side to get some consideration,” Strzelczyk said.
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has tried to get an 11th casino license, which would be owned by city government.
Asked Wednesday if he would be interested in the city getting the Emerald license, Daley replied, “No.”
Daley added that he thinks ownership of the licenses should be given to city governments.
Attorneys for both Emerald and Rosemont have protested the Gaming Board’s focus on alleged Outfit ties to Rosemont, which the board cited in revoking the license. Rosemont Mayor Donald Stephens has denied any allegations of organized-crime influence and mounted legal challenges to the board’s proceedings.
In an unrelated development, Stephens was released Sunday from Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge after being hospitalized last week, said village spokesman Gary Mack.
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