Temporary Waukegan Casino Gets License To Open Sportsbook

WAUKEGAN, IL — The operator of the temporary casino that opened earlier this year in Waukegan was last week granted a casino owner's license and a master sports wagering license from state gambling regulators.

The Illinois Gaming Board granted the license to Full House Resorts at its June 15 meeting. The publicly traded Nevada-based company opened The Temporary by American Place to the public in February.

"We were operating under a temporary operating permit and that's good for up to a year," said Alex Stolyer, senior vice president and chief development officer of Full House Resorts. "Now that we have our owner's license, then we can get approved to offer sports betting, so we got approved for the master sports betting license."

The gaming board has also granted The Temporary permission to operate 24 hours a day. It currently only does so on weekends.

"It's been ramping up and we've got one of the restaurants open, we've got another restaurant opening up this summer," Stolyer said.

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Asia-Azteca, a restaurant that serves a fusion of Mexican and Asian cuisine, opened at The Temporary in April. Stolyer said a steakhouse is next.

"The crowds have been good and the feedback has been very positive," he told Patch.

And Sportsbook operator Circa Sports is on track to open up shop in August, in time for the start of the NFL regular season, company officials said.

According to a news release announcing its first quarter earnings, Full House Resorts expects to get a minimum of $10 million a year, with minimal expenses, from sports wagering agreements that provide it with a percentage of sports betting revenue, once the casino offers both in-person and online betting.

“This was a transformational quarter for our company, with the first phase of our American Place project now open and already contributing meaningfully to our financial results,” Daniel Lee, president and CEO of Full House Resorts, said in the release.

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Lee said the temporary casino generated $10.4 million in revenue and $3.6 million in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, accounting for a earnings margin of more than 34 percent.

“Its marketing database currently consists of approximately 25,000 people and continues to grow steadily," Lee said. "As The Temporary’s database continues to expand and its remaining amenities come online, we expect continued growth in the property’s revenue and profit contributions."

Along with the operators license, state gambling regulators also granted Full House Resorts an extension on the amount of time it can operate The Temporary during construction of its permanent American Place casino.

With the extension, the temporary casino is permitted to operate through Feb. 17, 2026. The $400 million project to build the permanent casino is in the advanced design phase and has yet to receive final planning and development approval from local officials.

Earlier: Circa Sports To Run Sportsbook At American Place Casino In Waukegan