Las Vegas’ Full House Resorts chosen for Illinois resort project

Las Vegas-based Full House Resorts has been selected to build a casino resort in Waukegan, Illinois, midway between Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Chicago.

The Illinois Gaming Board on Wednesday approved Full House’s proposal, called American Place, from among five developers in a process that began in 2019.

The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in 2024.

The $500 million resort initially will open with 20 villas with second-phase plans to add a 150-room four-star boutique hotel.

Full House will be permitted to build a temporary casino site, expected to be completed in the middle of 2022, while the resort is under construction.

American Place will have a casino and sportsbook and a 1,500-seat live entertainment venue. The project is being designed by the Los Angeles-based Jerde design group whose projects have included Pacific City in Huntington Beach, California, and The Battery in Atlanta. It also has designed several projects in Turkey, Mexico, Costa Rica and China.

“We will begin working immediately on American Place, first with the development and construction of a temporary casino in Waukegan,” Full House President and CEO Dan Lee said in a statement issued Wednesday. “Through our planned temporary facility — aptly named The Temporary by American Place — we will be able to quickly create jobs and generate tax revenues while the permanent American Place facility is being built. We expect to open our temporary facility in mid-2022.”

The 20 villas being built in the initial project will range from 1,500 to 2,500 square feet each.

“Our permanent American Place facility is designed to be a world-class destination for nearby Chicagoland residents and the entire region and will include luxurious amenities such as an all-villa hotel with full butler service,” Lee said. “We are excited to join the Waukegan community and welcome the opportunity to bring our American Place vision to life, with completion of our full experience expected in 2024.”

While based in Las Vegas, Full House has no casino operations in Southern Nevada. It owns, leases, develops and operates casinos in Mississippi, Colorado, Indiana and Fallon in Northern Nevada, and manages the casino at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort in Incline Village.

The company also is building a luxury hotel, the Chamonix, in Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.