One year since Wind Creek Chicago Southland opened, 41 towns in the south and southwest suburbs have each received $118,154 in revenue from the casino’s operations, and two received a good deal more.
A total of 5% of the casino’s revenue is distributed among local communities, mandated in the law creating the license. Of that, 2% is split between East Hazel Crest and Homewood, where the casino is located. Wind Creek is mostly in East Hazel Crest, but its parking garage is in Homewood.
The remaining 3% is split equally among 43 municipalities, including East Hazel Crest and Homewood, and distributed monthly. As of Nov. 7, that came out to $118,154.10 apiece. The money can only be used for capital improvement projects or pension payments.
“A lot of the municipalities are underfunded, so they use that money for their pension plans,” said East Hazel Crest Village President Thomas Brown. “I think it probably draws some more businesses.”
Flossmoor, one of the 43 municipalities, is putting its share of the money toward road resurfacing projects.
“From a municipal standpoint, we’re pretty happy with the revenue, and that it’s generating more revenue than we initially anticipated,” said Flossmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson.
Nelson said that while the revenue doesn’t go as far as one might think, it’s still very welcome.
“That money is earmarked for infrastructure projects, specifically our roads. It costs up to about $500,000 to repave and also fix the sidewalks and curbs on a mile of road,” Nelson said. “So $100,000, you could say, doesn’t go a long way, but it does, you know, that’s another almost quarter of a mile of road that we’re gonna be able to resurface and fix the sidewalks on.”
Other municipalities receiving monthly payments from the casino revenues are Beecher, Blue Island, Burnham, Calumet City, Calumet Park, Chicago Heights, Country Club Hills, Crestwood, Crete, Dixmoor, Dolton, Ford Heights, Glenwood, Harvey, Hazel Crest, Lansing, Lynwood, Markham, Matteson, Midlothian, Monee, Oak Forest, Olympia Fields, Orland Hills, Orland Park, Palos Heights, Park Forest, Phoenix, Posen, Richton Park, Riverdale, Robbins, Sauk Village, South Chicago Heights, South Holland, Steger, Thornton, Tinley Park, University Park and Worth.
Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld said the casino’s opening has been “nothing but positive” for Homewood.
Hofeld and Brown both had positive things to say about the casino, saying it brought jobs and revenue to the area with a minimum of social disturbance.
“It’s been a good thing. It’s been very positive, for not only Homewood and East Hazel Crest, but also for the Southland,” Hofeld said.
More Top Picks Best Amazon Prime Day Ring Doorbell Deals 2026
As the two towns that receive the most from the casino, Homewood and East Hazel Crest pledged to put half of their gaming revenue for the first four years into a public benefit fund to serve the area. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which runs the casino and several others across the county, has also pledged to contribute $2 million a year for the first five years, Brown said.
“The funds are gonna be used for scholarships for disadvantaged students at our three community colleges, and to help initiatives at the South Suburban Hospital, and Ingalls Hospital in Harvey,” Brown said.
Brown said there was more than $3 million in the fund already, and East Hazel Crest’s total income from the casino, including both revenue and taxes, was $2.25 million as of early October. East Hazel Crest and Homewood split their section of the revenue and all taxes between them, with 55% to East Hazel Crest and 45% to Homewood.
In its first year alone, Wind Creek has established a commanding position among Illinois casinos. A summary of monthly revenue reports from the Illinois Gaming Board from November 2024 to October 2025 listed Wind Creek’s gross revenue at $186,677,513, placing it at second among the state’s 16 casinos, second only to Rivers Casino Des Plaines. Rivers Casino’s adjusted gross receipts for the same period were more than $500 million.
Wind Creek was also second only to Rivers Casino in number of visitors for the year, with 2,094,206 admissions to Rivers Casino’s just over 3 million.
Wind Creek has already expanded since its initial opening, with its hotel opening to the public in April. Brown said the casino plans to eventually open an event center and hold concerts, which would generate more tax income.