Carterville, Illinois - A brand new casino resort is expected to rise in Carterville, Southern Illinois after the gambling expansion bill finally got the green light front Illinois legislature.
The groundbreaking for Walker’s Bluff is set for September when the development process will commence. Before that, the resort had been stuck in the planning stage as it awaited for the aforementioned bill’s passing.
As a result of this bill, the Walker’s Bluff Winery is now allowed to apply for one of state casino licenses that are up for grabs. According to their projections, this new endeavor would help generate an extra $15 million in yearly profit for the region.
Cynde Bunch, who owns the winery, had long been trying to get a casino resort erected for nearly a decade. She could not contain her excitement when the bill finally received approval in this legislature, saying: “I knew it was going to happen. I just didn’t know when.”
The news was made public by Governor JB Pritzker, who was joined by local officials and business people. Among them was Aur Beck, a well-known businessperson in the area, who said he thinks that Southern Illinois could be possibly given a boost by this new casino resort.
Speaking about the prospects of the new casino, he heaped praise upon those who helped push this venture through and past the finish line:
“They’re visionaries, and they’ve been working very hard to create a vision, and people understand what they’re doing,” Beck said.
The development cost of the casino resort is projected to be around $300 million. The project will see 330 rooms built and hundreds of new jobs produced. Governor Pritzker expressed the utmost confidence that the new legislation will be of great help to the state of Illinois:
“It’s one of the tools we’re using to fund our infrastructure plan, which is named Rebuild Illinois. Overall we are investing $45 billion over six years to repair what’s broken and build what’s needed.”
There will be no assistance from the state for the development project, which will be totally funded through investment from the private sector. Once finished, the resort will be comprised of two hotels, a casino, and many different restaurants, complete with an outdoor and indoor water park, a spa, and a convention center.
The casino resort in Carterville is expected to open its doors in January 2021.
