Lake County officials disappointed in casino decision

Backers of a plan to operate the state's 10th casino in Waukegan were crestfallen by Monday's decision to give the license to Des Plaines.

"Certainly I am disappointed by this decision because we fought a long hard battle for this license," Waukegan Mayor Richard Hyde said in an e-mailed statement.

The Waukegan plan called for the casino to be built on the site of the former Lakehurst mall, on the south side of Route 120 near Waukegan Road.

The site is on Waukegan's far west side but was promoted as being key to the city's redevelopment plans, which largely have focused on the eastern lakefront.

Monday's decision will delay those redevelopment plans, but it won't kill them, Hyde said.

"While it will take us a little bit longer without casino revenues, we will still move forward with our revitalization plans for our downtown and lakefront," he said.

The proposed site is within Lake County Board member Pat Carey's district. She, too, was disappointed by Monday's decision, particularly because the city has been struggling economically and could've used the multimillion-dollar boost.

A Waukegan casino could've lured gamblers from Wisconsin, too, whereas a Des Plaines casino likely only will attract locals, she said.

"I thought they had a pretty good shot at it," said Carey, a Grayslake Democrat. "The legislation was drafted to help cities just like Waukegan."

State Sen. Terry Link, a longtime and vocal supporter of a Waukegan casino, said Des Plaines is not a depressed community like Elgin, Aurora or the other Illinois towns that have casinos. Waukegan is, he said.

"It's a sad day for Waukegan," said Link, a Waukegan Democrat.