Wind Creek Hospitality recently broke ground on its 252-room casino in Chicago’s Southland. The $440 million casino is expected to contain numerous amenities including restaurants, as well as an entertainment center. The casino itself will be a 64,000 square foot gaming floor capable of holding 56 table games, at least 1300 slot machines, 2 bars, and a skyline lounge, as well as a restaurant.
The groundbreaking ceremony was witnessed by all the Wind Creek officials, the local administrators, as well as the Poarch Creek Indian leaders. Now that the construction of the casino has started, it is scheduled to open its doors to punters by 2023. The casino will be constructed on a 24-acre parcel of land located on the border between the suburbs of East Hazel Crest and Homewood.
This new casino will be under the management of Wind Creek Hospitality and is predicted to revive the area as the state looks to bring in more business from the suburbs of Chicago. Wind Creek is owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama and is already an established brand in the gaming and hospitality sphere. The brand operates 10 other betting operations located in various states and countries including Nevada, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Curacao, as well as the Caribbean.
According to Poarch Band of Creek Indians’ Tribal chair, Stephanie Bryan, the development of this new casino is anticipated to create at least 600 construction jobs. Once the temporary casino is up and running, it will also provide employment opportunities for casino and hotel workers. Wind Creek states that it will share its revenues with the state, as well as the surrounding townships while also setting up the Southland Public Benefits Fund.
The Fund is expected to distribute at least $150,000 each year until 2029 and $1 million years after that to be utilized for various community projects. One of the local recipients of this fund will be South Suburban College, Moraine Valley Community College, as well as Prairie State College. Many more community organizations, including projects in housing, will also receive the benefits associated with the development of this new casino.
The Wind Creek group received approval from the Illinois Gaming Board to start the construction process in 2019. However, the project has experienced several setbacks and delays resulting from planning challenges and supply chain issues linked with the pandemic. When doors open in 2023, Wind Creek in Southland is expected to have hired at least 800 residents.
Based on Wind Creek’s initial forecasts, the casino estimates a year on net profit of more than $155 million, as well as a year 7 net revenue of approximately $200 million. With the casino being situated in a prime location, the easy access to I-80 will help to create a great foundation for the casino and entertainment complex. This accessibility will help the new casino to fully maximize its proceeds and bring continual profits to the whole south suburban area.
What we cover
The maturing Illinois casino market
The Illinois gambling market has been growing steadily in the last couple of years and the state is already home to 10 casinos. Legislation that was signed into law by Governor Jay Pritzker will also see the addition of 6 new casino venues in various locations including in Chicago, Danville, Waukegan, Rockford, as well as Cook and Williamson counties.
According to state officials, Wind Creek hospitality has been trying for years to introduce a new casino location that will help the state recapture gambling revenues that are currently flowing to casino facilities in neighboring Indiana. These 6 new casinos that have been sanctioned by the state are expected to drive tax revenues, which will be advantageous to all the suburbs in the southern region.
The state approved the expansion of casino gambling in Illinois in a push to raise revenue for the cash-strapped state. The massive betting expansion has been part of the broad grand bargain that will see the state’s 2-year stalemate over a yearly spending plan ended. Due to the expansion, for the first time in Illinois’ history, any casino including already existing facilities can be situated on the land.
This new expansion helped to end the riverboat gambling theme that had been persisted in the state since the 19th century. In the past, Chicago remained opposed to land-based casinos because it feared the competition would paralyze the horse racing industry. However, supporters of modern gambling now agree that a casino economy will be instrumental in boosting tourism while keeping gamblers in the state from crossing over to Indiana to spend their money.
To ease the competition that will come from these new establishments, the gambling laws allow existing casinos in the state to expand their betting seats by 400. The legislation also now allows 4 horse racing tracks to incorporate slot machines while airports in Chicago will also be allowed to install the machines in various terminals.
Several temporary casinos have already broken ground this year thanks to the expanded gambling laws. For instance, this May, the foundation was poured for the construction of the temporary 70,000-square-foot casino in Waukegan. The temporary American Place casino will be situated near the Fountain Square shopping center and has a plan to open their doors to guests and customers before the end of the year.
Not too long ago, Golden Nugget also received approval from the Gaming Board to set up its temporary casino in Danville. The first phase of the temporary casino will see a casino floor set up on a 41,000 square foot floor that will hold 14 table games and more than 500 slot games.
Last year, the Illinois Gaming Board also approved 815 Entertainment to begin construction of a temporary casino in Rockford. Construction of this establishment started at the old Giovanni’s Restaurant location on Bell School Road. The old Giovanni’s restaurant and the banquet hall were transformed into a temporary location and cost almost $8.8 million in renovations to include 2 restaurants, as well as 736 slot machines.
Final Thoughts
Locally, Wind Creek operates Wind Creek Casino in Atmore, Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem, Wind Creek Casino in Montgomery, Wind Creek Casino in Wetumpka, and Wa She Shu in Gardnerville, Nevada.
