Rockford, Illinois residents will be able to weigh in on the proposed development of a casino in the city during a public hearing scheduled for 5:30 pm local time on September 23.
The hearing will take place at the Coronado Performing Arts Center. Doors will open at 5 pm. City officials received three proposals for a casino in the city during the application process which ended on August 30. All three bids were submitted shortly before that deadline.
Rockford was one of the locations selected to host new casinos under Illinois’ recently revised gambling law. The state’s Governor, J. B. Pritzker, signed earlier this year a gambling expansion package that, among other things, authorized the construction of up to six Las Vegas-style gambling venues on the territory of Illinois.
Under the Illinois Gambling Act, Rockford is required to host a public hearing and provide residents with the opportunity to voice their opinion on whether the city should host a casino and which of the received proposals would benefit it the most.
City officials, residents, and casino bidders will discuss several important factors during the public hearing, including whether applicants have negotiated with the city in good faith; the applicant and the city have agreed on the temporary and permanent location of the casino; the applicant and the city have agreed on the percentage of gambling revenue that will be shared with Rockford; the applicant and the city have agreed on zoning, licensing, public health, and other issues; and the City Council has passed a resolution ordinance supporting the casino.
The Three Proposals
Three groups submitted casino bids with the Rockford City Council within the application window. Michigan-based gaming and entertainment company Luna Entertainment revealed plans for a gambling venue near Javon Bea Hospital-Riverside. The casino complex would occupy 135 acres of land.
Wisconsin-based developer Gorman & Company Inc. turned in plans for a casino in downtown Rockford near the site of Embassy Suites Hotel and Rockford Conference Center which the company is currently building. The proposal also includes an aquarium.
Florida gaming and hospitality giant Hard Rock International wants to build a casino complex off Interstate 90 on East State Street at the site of the former Clock Tower Resort. Its proposal was backed by Rockford native and Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen.
Each of the three applicants will have 45 minutest to make a formal presentation during the upcoming public hearing.
After the hearing, the Rockford City Council will have until the end of September to certify the casino proposals. They will then have to submit them to the Illinois Gaming Board by October 25. The gambling regulator will have the final say in the selection of the preferred applicant.
Last week, the board announced that it has adopted a set of new ethics rules for the casino selection process. It said that the rules aimed to strengthen its existing ethical safeguards and would require more people to present ethical disclosure reports during a casino selection process.
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