Mayor Lightfoot Gives Ambitious Update On Chicago Casino Next Steps

Written By Joe Boozell on November 8, 2021 – Last Updated on December 8, 2021

In early 2022, Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago stated her intention for the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) to receive a finalized list of potential players for the Chicago casino.

In late October, the city received five proposals for its casino license, with submissions from Bally’s, Rush Street Gaming, and Hard Rock among others.

During her Friday press conference, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, Lightfoot mentioned that the Chicago casino would aid in funding police and fire pension funds.

We are eager to move forward quickly with using casino funds to support our police and fire pensions.

He noted that Lightfoot found all the ideas to be very intriguing, strong, and well-thought-out.

The president mentioned that development groups will have a chance to contribute to the city before any labels are suggested for the IGB. She added:

Our team is actively reviewing and analyzing the responses. We anticipate inviting the many respondents to present their proposals.

If Lightfoot wants to meet her goal of recommending entrants to the IGB by the end of the first quarter of 2022, she must take action promptly.

Even though the IGB is known for taking their time with casino applications, the city’s highly publicized casino project is still progressing after nearly two years of delays.

A look at the game software in Chicago

Two development groups presented proposals to Rush Street Gaming, with Bally submitting two projects and Hard Rock offering one suggestion.

The provided information outlines what we know about the suggested sites.

Bally in Chicago: McCormick Place Truck Marshaling Yard
Rivers Chicago is situated within McCormick LLC, specifically at the Lakeside Center in McCormick Place.
Chicago is where you will find the development site of Rivers 78 Gaming LLC in the South Loop.
Chicago’s Hard Rock: Mysterious

Bally’s is ramping up their investments in Illinois with each bid totaling $1.6 billion. Currently operating the establishment formerly known as Jumer’s Casino & Hotel in the western part of the state, Bally’s is focusing on expanding their presence in Illinois.

As Hard Rock works on building a game in Rockford, Rivers Casino in Des Plaines is seeing a substantial investment from Rush Street Gaming.

Given comedian co-founder Neil Bluhm’s track record and the gravity of the situation, it is very likely that Rush Street Gaming will obtain the license. Their decision to withdraw their application for a game permit in Waukegan further demonstrates their dedication to Chicago.

Lightfoot has emphasized that there will be no preferential treatment for local candidates in the licensing process, suggesting that Bally’s and Hard Rock will face strong competition.

It would be great to delve into the specifics of each plan if presentations are accessible to the public.

The most recent information on Waukegan, north residential casino licenses

There are two bidders still vying for both the Waukegan and south suburban casino licenses. They are:

Waukegan-based Lakeside Casino LLC
Matteson, a suburb located in the southern region of the Chicago metropolitan area.
The cities of Homewood East and Hazel Crest South are under the ownership of Wind Creek LLC.

In October, the IGB reduced the number of candidates. On October 28th, applicants from the southern suburbs presented their cases to the board.

From now until the end of the year, all four candidates are invited to submit their final proposals to the IGB. Additionally, they will have the chance to provide more detailed responses to any questions that committee members may have raised during their presentations.

IGB Administrator Marcus Fruchter announced that the committee will aim to finalize decisions on all licenses by early January. Additionally, they may initiate primary suitability and acquisition processes, the last steps before granting full approval.

Both processes are becoming more popular. Games saw a significant increase in 2019, but some aspects of the rollout have been difficult.

As we approach the end of 2021, it is clear that Illinois is making notable advancements in the casino and sports betting sectors.