Illinois Gaming Board Finds Walker’s Bluff Casino ‘Preliminarily Suitable’ For License

The Illinois Gaming Board ( IGB ) has issued a preliminary, suitable andrdquo ruling to Walker & rsquo, s Bluff Casino.

Despite not being a final approval, the board’s decision on Wednesday at a conference is a crucial initial step towards obtaining one.

The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) has been infamously slow in processing applications for new casinos. As of halfway through 2021, none of the six new casino licenses permitted under the 2019 gaming package have been issued in Illinois.

The Hard Rock Casino Rockford is the only other casino that has been preliminarily found suitable. This occurred in February, yet Hard Rock has not yet received the final approval.

However, reaching this stage is crucial for Walker & Bluff. The project is being managed by Elite Casino Resorts, an Iowa-based company, which has some big plans for the building.

What to know about the Bluff Casino in Walker & rsquo

The Walker’s Bluff Casino is proposed to be situated in the unincorporated region of Williamson County, in the southern part of Illinois. It is approximately equidistant from the borders of both Kentucky and Missouri.

Elite Resorts has plans to establish a casino, hotel, event center, pool, and spa at their location. In addition, the resort will include over 650 slot machines and 20 table games, alongside a sportsbook.

Elite Resorts is the only applicant for the Williamson County license. While it owns three casinos in Iowa, it does not own any in Illinois.

Elite Resorts initially planned to build the hospital in several stages. Now, all stages will be constructed simultaneously.

The CEO of Elite Casino Resorts, Dan Kehl, stated:

“Thanks to the new proposed construction schedule, we can now open the casino, hotel, spa, and all our distinctive Elite amenities earlier. This will provide new guests with a fantastic first impression of Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort.”

Only Harrah’s Metropolis is located further south in Illinois than Williamson County, so the Walker’s racial and territorial project in Bluff would give residents of that area another casino option.

What about the other brand-new games in Illinois?

As stated before, the process of distributing new casino licenses in Illinois has been proven to be strenuous.

In the initial stage, Walker & Bluff is now linked with Hard Rock Casino Rockford. Yet, no new licenses have been granted subsequent to the expansion of games in 2019.

Thanks to the act, six new casinos could be built in the Land of Lincoln. The designated areas for these constructions are:

• County of Williamson
• Rockford
• Waukegan
• Danville
• cities in the southern
• Chicago

Some candidates first handed in their applications in October 2019. The IGB was expected to reply within a month, but it has continually postponed the issue. Occasionally, it has blamed the applicants for the delays.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has already expressed criticism towards the IGB for their slow processing, even though Chicago has not yet submitted an application.

That being said, it appears that there is some activity happening in the novel game sector. Hard Rock, Walker & rsquo, and Bluff are now eligible for approval at any moment.