Temporary casino to open in Waukegan, IL this October
June 14, 2022
A temporary casino is set to open in Waukegan later in October to December this year. The casino named ‘The Temporary by American Place’ will be located beside the Fountain Square shopping center. The venue opens as the permanent casino takes too long to begin operating.
The temporary casino will have the size of three football fields and is located near the permanent American Place casino currently in construction. Full House Resort as the operator will fill it with 1,000 slot machines and 50 table games. There will also be three restaurants and a bar.
The city’s mayor Ann Taylor said the temporary casino is a tent but is stable enough for the length of its expected duration until the construction of the permanent casino is complete. The temporary casino will take an area of 65,000 square feet.
“It’s like a high-tension tent,” said Alex Stolyar, Full House’s senior vice president and chief development officer. “We’re calling it ‘The Temporary by American Place.’”
He then said he is hiring hundreds for the temporary casino to fill the position of but not limited to dealers, slot machine technicians, security personnel, people to handle surveillance, marketing professionals, and supervisory personnel.
The site is currently empty but the tent will be built in the following weeks. Full House already hosted job fairs offering positions in the temporary casino. The mayor said it increases the development of the city.
"With the casino coming in, we've been starting to see a lot of buzz with Waukegan," the Mayor said. "I think they see Waukegan is on the cusp and they want to be part of it."
She then said the tent will provide an advantage including Metra access to downtown Chicago. Its location is also halfway to Chicago and Milwaukee.
Even if the plan is solid, the temporary casino still needs the approval of the Illinois Gaming Board and the city of Waukegan so the construction can begin.
Permanent casino
The permanent casino is planned to start operating in 2025. Even so, the Mayor hopes the construction is completed earlier and not take the full three years.
"I know they'd like to get it done in two," Taylor said. "But when talking about construction in Illinois, it's all up in the air about what you can get done because of the weather."
Full House said it will be the nearest casino to 1.2 million residents of southern Wisconsin and Lake County. The current closest casinos to the area are Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Elgin's Grand Victoria Casino, and Potawatomi Hotel and Casino in Milwaukee.
"Brick-and-mortar casinos have been operating in the state for 30 years now," said Tom Thanas, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association. "The casinos have always adjusted and reacted and welcomed the competition."
The casino is said to house 100 table games, 1,640 slot machines, and a sportsbook. It will also have a 1,500-seat entertainment venue, six restaurants and bars, and a rooftop helipad for high-roller customers. The venue will also have ‘The Mansion’, a casino resort featuring 20 luxury villas, a spa, room service, and butlers.
