The north suburban city of Waukegan is asking the Illinois Gaming Board for the state’s tenth gambling license.
Last month, the board stripped Emerald Casino of its license, freeing up an extra permit.
Waukegan Mayor Richard Hynes says a casino could bring 15-hundred jobs to the city and spur the area’s economy.
“We need money. We need jobs. Lake County, about 680,000 people, we need what that casino can do for us,” he says.
Hynes says a casino in Waukegan -- far away from the state’s nine others -- could attract new gamblers and prevent current ones from traveling to casinos in Wisconsin.
The Illinois Gaming Board says it won’t consider what city will get the license until an appellate court reaches a decision in a lawsuit brought by Emerald Casino.