Rosemont is currently trying to seize this opportunity becauseof thefailure of a casino in western Illinois in JoDaviess County.That casino,the Silver Eagle, found that it couldn't compete onceIowa liberalized itsgambling laws in 1994. It eventually closed in1997. Since then, the ownersof the Silver Eagle, headed by formerWaste Management official DonaldFlynn, and his son, Kevin Flynn,have been maneuvering to move the licensefor the casino toRosemont.

Emerald Casino Inc. (formerly HP Inc.) would need permissionfrom theIllinois Gaming Board to move the casino. The village ofRosemont agreed topay more that $15.6 million in the last couple ofyears in order to acquirean aging industrial park that makes upmost of the site for the proposedcasino.Emerald would then leaseabout three acres from the village for its casinoin a 35-acre sitebounded by Bryn Mawr Ave. on the north, the Tri-StateTollway on thewest, Balmoral on the south and a village parking garage ontheeast. The gambling facility would be a barge in a moat.

The $160 million project would include a 40,000-sf gaming floorwith about977 slot machines and 58 table games. The barge wouldtotal over 150,000-sf,including a restaurant, sports bar andentertainment lounge. Some estimatethat the casino could rake inalmost $290 million in its first year ofoperation.