When he’s out in the community, East Hazel Crest Mayor Tom Brown brings a supply of small plastic discs that resemble poker chips. On them it reads “Wind Creek Ill., coming 2021, with your support.”
Yes, the date is correct. They were printed after the General Assembly initially approved expansion of gambling in Illinois, including a license for a land-based casino in the south suburbs.
East Hazel Crest and its municipal neighbor, Homewood, saw 2021 come and go without the envisioned gambling palace, but could be just a few weeks from groundbreaking for a casino.
Work could get underway in a few weeks, once the weather improves, with construction taking 13 to 15 months, Brown said Friday.
