Temporary American Place Casino In Waukegan Opening “Soon”

The latest Illinois casino, The Temporary by American Place Casino in Waukegan, owned and operated by Full House, was initially slated to open in October and then in December. Now, it seems the opening could be pushed back to January.

The company has largely remained silent about when it plans to open. However, recent updates on the casino’s Facebook page indicated that the opening date would be revealed shortly. This includes a video post on Dec. 24 by the casino’s vice president and general manager, Jeff Babinski, confirming from the casino floor that an announcement about the opening is expected “soon”.

As of Tuesday morning, the Illinois Gaming Board had listed Full House Resorts Illinois LLC as “preliminarily suitable,” but not yet fully “licensed.”

Waukegan will be the 12th Illinois casino

Once the temporary Waukegan casino opens, it will become the 12th casino in Illinois.

Five additional casino openings will ensue:

• The Golden Nugget Danville is set to open in March 2023.
• The provisional Bally’s Chicago casino is set to open at the Medinah Temple in June 2023, ahead of the permanent Bally’s Chicago’s planned opening in 2026.
• The Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort, located in Williamson County, is expected to open at some point in 2023.
• The Hard Rock Rockford casino, which is permanent, is scheduled for a late 2023 opening. This follows the opening of the temporary Hard Rock: Opening Act casino in 2021.
• The Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino, located on the border of Homewood and East Hazel Crest, IL, is set to open either in late 2023 or early 2024.

Circa sportsbook to launch with American Place opening

Significantly, the collaboration with Full House at the Waukegan facility serves as the launching pad for Circa’s sportsbook app in Illinois.

However, the IGB continues to list Circa Sports Illinois LLC as an “applicant.”

Should it become licensed, Circa would be the eighth sports betting operator in Illinois, joining:

• DraftKings
• Caesars
• BetMGM
• PointsBet
• BetRivers
• FanDuel
• Barstool

In November, Play Illinois predicted the next Illinois sportsbooks most likely to debut in the Prairie State.

The Temporary to feature 1,000 slot machine

Beyond the Circa Sportsbook, the temporary casino in Waukegan, a town situated on the shores of Lake Michigan, will provide:

• 1,000 slot machines
• 50 table games
• Various dining options are available including three sit-down restaurants, additional food choices, and a spacious bar.

The American Place casino, which has a price tag of $400 million, will notably open in Waukegan in 2025.

And, it will feature:

• 1,640 slots
• 100 table games
• A permanent sportsbook
• 1,500-seat entertainment venue
• Initially, The Mansion will consist of 20 rooms designed in a ‘villa-style’. The second phase will see the addition of a hotel with 150 rooms.

Full House Resorts takes pride in offering a luxurious experience for players and operates casinos in Mississippi, Indiana, Nevada, and Colorado.

In conclusion, the permanent casino will generate over 400 jobs in the city situated between Chicago and Milwaukee.