A look at the 5 elaborate plans submitted for Waukegan casino
Helipads and posh villas. Italianate fountains and dine-in movie theaters. Saltwater pools and cavernous concert halls. And lots of slots.
They're all included in a slate of packages being offered by a handful of developers vying for the opportunity to run a newly authorized casino in Waukegan, according to documents released by the city last week.
The North suburb received six formal proposals, though two of those bids are tied together. That means city officials are mulling five competing development plans for a gambling den, all at the site of the shuttered Fountain Square shopping center at Lakehurst Road and Northpoint Boulevard.
Among the players who have shown their cards are the operators of the state's most lucrative casino, a former state senator whose company poured cash into recent local elections, and a group that was booted from the race for Illinois' last casino license a decade ago because state regulators were wary of its ties to an indicted Springfield power broker.Waukegan officials have said they'll present two or three to the Illinois Gaming Board by the end of October. That state agency has the final say on issuing a license.
Get a quick rundown of the proposals at chicago.suntimes.com.