CHICAGO-The game of riverboat roulette is on, now that the Illinois Gaming Board has revoked the state's 10th and final casino license from Emerald Casino, Inc., ostensibly opening the door for venues other than an ill-fated venture proposed for northwest suburban Rosemont. While skeptics argue the location is a done deal, south suburban Calumet City is the latest to jump into the game, joining would-be hosts in far north suburban Waukegan and Rockford, more than an hour west of Rosemont.
Attorneys representing the city told members of the gaming board Monday their client is ready to do what it takes to convert vacant industrial land along two rivers into a riverboat casino venue, adding it would help jump-start an economically depressed area, a stated criteria in legislation that brought riverboat gambling to the state. In addition, it would deter gamblers from taking their table stakes across the state line to Indiana casinos, they say.
“We have a willing town that will do what it has to do,” attorney Ferdinand P. Serpe tells GlobeSt.com, adding the city is prepared to use eminent domain as well as negotiated purchases to acquire vacant industrial property for a casino in the suburb on the west side of the state line.
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