American Place Casino rewinds ‘Back to the ’80s’
On Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, American Place Casino in Waukegan hosted their 3-year anniversary party themed after the age of arcade games, glam metal, and neon glow.
Guests stepped through a time-machine as they entered the front doors. Chandeliers made of Slinkys, giant neon TV set backdrops, Pac-Man ghosts, and more flooded the casino floor.
Team members and guests alike represented their favorite pop-culture moments, sporting everything from pinnacle neon track suits and glam metal fringe to the iconic Michael Jackson Thriller jackets and Marty McFly’s puffy vest.
Every two hours, a patron that came in costume who arrived in costume and checked in at the Player’s Club was chosen at random from the promotional ticket entries to win $250 in Free Play. On top of the costume drawing prizes, an additional $30,000 in Free Play was given out throughout the evening.
Not to worry, if a guest didn’t come in costume, the casino had them covered! Next to the Player’s Club, casino patrons could pick up their free APC swag, including themed vinyl coasters, neon sweatbands, Wayfarer-style sunglasses, fanny packs, bucket hats, and more!
Entertainment flowed all night long. The Windy City Ghostbusters, a local 501c(3), wandered the casino hunting the paranormal while posing for pictures with guests. Beyond the Black Jack tables, Just Face It entertainment provided a free photobooth so casino patrons could take home a keepsake of the night.
At the DJ booth, Doc Brown brought his flux capacitor, allowing DJ Merv to “time travel” the audience while spinning classics from Quiet Riot to A-ha all night long.
At the Lighthouse, VIP patrons enjoyed a private dinner accompanied by live entertainment. For an elevated evening, at North Shore Steaks and Seafood, VIPs were treated to an upscale dinner curated by Chef Dano. The three-course menu featured selections such as seven-layer dip loaded potato skins, toasted lobster ravioli, and a pie plum torte.
The long-awaited highlight of the night was the 2026 Ford Bronco Big Bend giveaway in partnership with Kunes Ford of Antioch. Casino patrons earned entries throughout the month of February. In total, 10,327 individual casino patrons earned a total of 133,014 entries!
At 10 p.m., five finalists were randomly selected from those 133,014 entries to compete in a game of Ms. Pac-Man.
Jose Diaz of Wisconsin channeled his inner child and took out the ghosts to claim first place in the Ms. Pac-Man competition, earning the keys to the Ford Bronco.
“I’ve been playing Pac-Man my whole life. I thought to myself, if I play Ms. Pac-Man, I’m gonna win.” said Diaz. And that\'s exactly what he did, securing victory with a score of 8,690 points.
“Congratulations Jose, from Kunes Ford Antioch,” said Doug Kiscellus, general sales manager at Kunes Ford Antioch. “What an awesome event. We can’t wait to do it again!”
With nostalgic throwbacks and a grand prize that stole the show, American Place Casino’s three-year anniversary delivered a celebration worthy of the milestone. If this party was any indication, American Place Casino knows how to “level up” year after year.