MATTESON, Ill. -- A casino in Lynwood could help stem the flow of gambling dollars into neighboring Indiana, a lobbyist for a proposed Ho-Chunk casino in Lynwood told area business people Monday.
William Boulware, legislative counsel to the Wisconsin based Ho-Chunk Nation, told Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce members their area is losing out to nearby Indiana riverboat host cities Hammond, East Chicago and Gary.
"You're losing 25 to 30 percent of your market," not only in gaming dollars but in related businesses including gas stations, restaurants and retail shopping, Boulware said.
"We think we can recapture that," he said.
Boulware outlined tribal plans for a $1 billion complex on 432 acres, anchored by a casino but also featuring stores, a theater, sports fields and other entertainment, along with a kiddie spa staffed by licensed day-care workers.
"If you don't gamble you never have to see the gaming facility," Boulware said.
The project still has hurdles to clear, including a barrage of protest over casino gambling from people in neighboring communities.
A Ho-Chunk tribal council is weighing whether to pull gambling from the proposal, leaving just the retail and commercial complex, Boulware said.
"If gaming becomes too much of a lead weight," the tribe could decide to pull it, he said.
For the casino to open, the tribe must obtain federal trust status on land it's buying for the project.
The Nation is preparing paperwork requesting trust status from the Department of the Interior and hopes to begin the process in four months, Boulware said. Department of Interior approval can take several years.
The tribe hasn't ruled out bypassing the Interior Department and seeking Congressional approval, Boulware said. U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, D-Ill., has offered to sponsor the move, but Congress has rarely approved such legislation in the past.
Boulware drew a mostly polite reception from the luncheon crowd at the Holiday Inn Conference Center.
Matteson Mayor Mark Stricker said his village board has supported other efforts over the years to provide opportunities for economic development.
"I think I could be supportive of (the Ho-Chunk) efforts," he said.
But Deb Van Drunen, a member of Citizens for our Community, said the proposal worries her organization.
"Once land is in trust it's in trust forever," she said, adding, "Gambling is a bad thing."
