Illinois Gaming Board Postpones Waukegan Casino License Decision Amid Potawatomi Claiming Process Was “Rigged”

Administrator Marcus Fruchter announced at the board meeting on Thursday that the Illinois Gaming Board ( IGB ) will postpone its decision regarding the applicant for a Waukegan casino license indefinitely.

The IGB had initially planned to make a decision and a preliminary suitability finding at a meeting. However, Potawatomi Hotel and Casino now asserts that the city’s process was “rigged.” In a hearing on Wednesday, Potawatomi requested a Cook County judge to prevent an IGB decision.

Fruchter announced that, out of respect for the judicial process, the IGB might choose not to select a winning bid. He did not provide a schedule for when he will make his decision.

Potawatomi alleges that town officials of Waukegan, including ex-president Sam Cunningham, manipulated the election process to benefit Michael Bond.

Bond is leading the North Point Casino initiative. The only other remaining buyer is Full House Resorts.

The process for obtaining a south suburban casino license is still scheduled for a decision in the coming months. However, these recent revelations significantly disrupt Waukegan’s timeline.

Let’s delve deeper into the claims about Potawatomi.

Why Potawatomi thinks the Waukegan game system was rigged

Ultimately, representatives from Waukegan made three requests to the IGB, asking them to acquire assets from Churchill Downs, Full House, and North Point. The city did not allow Potawatomi to express their concerns to the game regulators.

The game software at Churchill Downs’ Waukegan omitted North Point and Full House and was just pulled out.

According to The Patch, Potawatomi uses sworn evidence provided by 6th Ward Alderman, Keith Turner. Turner claimed that Cunningham had told him:

“We want to send these three to Springfield, right? That was the result of the vote, correct? Let’s proceed with sending them.”

According to Potawatomi, Waukegan also violated the state’s gaming expansion law and the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

Bond and Cunningham share a long history together, with Bond donating over $50,000 to Cunningham’s 2017 mayoral campaign.

Furthermore, Potawatomi’s attorneys asserted:

Bond’s campaign donations and strong connection with Cunningham indeed gave North Point an advantage. However, due to the public’s scrutiny of Bond’s involvement, the City preferred Full House as a less formidable competitor that could effectively show partiality towards North Point. This conclusion cannot be disputed by Rivers’ decision, which presented its unique approach by disclosing harmful information during the Waukegan Gaming conflict. Consequently, Cunningham instructed the Illinois Gaming Board to forward Potawatomi, Full House, and North Point to the Board.

According to Potawatomi’s lawsuit, Cunningham failed to adequately disclose his communication with Bond to the IGB.

On November 30, prosecutors from Waukegan and Potawatomi will gather for an arrangement event, but the result is still uncertain.

When might this be resolved?

The shortest response is what we don’t realize.

The decision to proceed with Full House or North Point largely rests on the IGB’s decision. If North Point is chosen, the procedure could experience significant delays.

Based on the content, it seems plausible that the IGB may have selected North Point. This is in relation to the date of the legal action taken by Potawatomi. However, we are uncertain and cannot confirm this.

The IGB typically operates at a slow pace, hence these allegations could potentially derail the entire process. This implies that the residents of Waukegan might face a significant delay in getting their game.