Full House Resorts, which is one of the most recognizable gaming operators and developers, recently announced the selection of its new Chief Operating Officer John Ferrucci. Ferrucci was promoted to the newly created position of senior VP and COO. Before his appointment to this position, he served as the General Manager for the Silver Slipper Casino Hotel in Hancock County, which is also owned and operated by Full House Resorts.
His appointment is subject to the completion of his new employment agreement. As the first-ever COO, Ferucci will be tasked with ensuring that the Full House’s American Place project in Waukegan is completed successfully. The new COO will oversee the opening of the temporary venue at American Palace before a permanent general manager is hired.
This means that Ferucci will still continue to serve as General Manager of Silver Slipper and will oversee operations for the Full House Resort’s other operations. Before he was hired by Full House, Ferucci also worked in several other capacities in the gaming industry. For instance, for a period, the newly appointed COO worked as casino the manager for Lucayan Beach Resort and Casino located in the Bahamas.
He later moved to Mississippi where Ferucci established both the Grand Casino in Gulfport, as well as the Grand Casino in Biloxi. In 1996, Ferucci was appointed the general manager of the Palace Casino in Biloxi before moving to the northeast where he helped develop and debut a Native American Casino. In 2000, he was appointed the VP and GM of the Casino Magic Biloxi. This was the first casino hotel in Mississippi to be granted the auspicious AAA 4-Diamond Service Award.
In 2004, he joined Full House Resort’s Silver Slipper property as part of the development team. In this position, Ferucci would work closely with architects, engineers, as well as designers to help construct and finally open the casino to the public. He was also heavily involved in the renovation project that took place later in 2015 that saw the addition of 129 new guestrooms.
As such, the new COO is highly experienced in casino development and operations, which is exactly the kind of leadership needed for the opening of a temporary casino. The temporary American Place casino is expected to be up and running mid-summer.
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More on the American Place Casino Launch
The American Place project in Waukegan is expected to be one of the most vibrant gaming and entertainment destinations in the Waukegan region. Full House Resorts was selected by the Illinois Gaming Board to commence with the project after a rigorous competitive process that started in 2019.
After approval was given by the board, Full House Resorts president Daniel Lee stated that construction of a temporary venue would commence immediately before the completion of the final project. This temporary venue will be named the Temporary by American Place and will allow the state to start generating revenue as soon as possible.
Even though the first project will only be temporary, the goal is to create a world-class destination that will attract local punters as well as the thousands of travelers that arrive in Chicago daily. The temporary location is expected to contain all the top amenities that you would find at a luxury casino resort including butler service and a villa hotel. Full House Resorts expects to launch the permanent casino in 2024.
The American Place Casino is going to be a $400 million gaming and entertainment destination that will boast a state-of-the-art sportsbook. The site will also feature a premium luxury boutique hotel that will consist of 20 luxurious villas of different sizes that each come with butler service. The casino will also feature a 1,500-seat venue for live entertainment; a gourmet restaurant; added eateries and bars, as well as a host of other amenities.
The second stage of the American Place project is also expected to consists of a 4-star hotel with at least 150 rooms. To allow it to construct all these amenities, Full House Resorts revealed that it would be purchasing 10 acres of land adjoining the 30 acres of the casino site that are being leased from the city. This extra land will ensure that there is ample parking space, as well as road access from the major highways.
The developer has also went for the purchase of a sprung tent structure, that’s the size of approximately 1.5 football fields, which will house the casino. This is where punters will get to wager on their favorite slots, table games, and sports teams before the permanent facility at American Place is finalized. The temporary casino is expected to house approximately 50 table games, 1000 slot machines, 3 restaurants, one of which will cater to fine dining, and a bar.
The sprung tent structure that will serve as the temporary base is expected to be set up between late March and late April this year. A career fair has already been organized for March that will see the recruitment of staff members and other management roles. Full House expects to employ at least 500 staff members for the temporary casino.
The City Council has already approved 3 consulting contracts at City Hall that will oversee the project. The city is excited for the construction process to begin because once completed successfully, the American Place is going to be the largest project that has ever been pulled off in Waukegan. Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor has encouraged the developers to try and hire as many locals and minorities as possible.
Not the Only Temporary Casino in Town
Apart from the American place temporary casino, Hard Rock International was also granted permission last year to open a temporary brick and mortar casino in Rockford before debuting its permanent facility later on. The temporary venue will be situated at the intersection of Bell School Roads and East State Street and will create more than 1000 new jobs for the locals. The Rockford Casino is also expected to feature more than 625 slot games in its nearly 3,500 square feet of gaming space.
