The developer of Chicago’s south suburban casino – Wind Creek Hospitality – has announced it inked a partnership agreement with the Chicago Bulls. Under the provisions of the deal, the planned Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino and Resort will start operation as the official casino of the team.
The two parties revealed that their six-year partnership agreement will include in-game promotions, with fans attending United Center-held games or watching matches on TV set to start seeking signs about the casino. The financial terms of the deal have not been announced.
The construction works on the Wind Creek Casino commenced in September. The planned 70,000-square-foot casino and its adjacent 252-room hotel are set to be situated in East Hazel Crest, while parking garages will be built in Homewood. A few years ago, the two suburbs formed a partnership as part of their efforts to bring a casino venue to the region.
According to previous estimates provided by Wind Creek Hospitality, the planned casino would be ready to start operation by late summer or early fall of the upcoming year. Unfortunately, there have been some unforeseen delays on the way, so the casino is now expected to start operation in late 2023 or early 2024.
Wind Creek Casino to Bring Additional Tax Revenue to the Region
Wind Creek Hospitality received the state gaming regulator’s preliminary approval to open a casino in December 2021 after the company had provided proof to the Illinois State Gaming Board that its project would create the biggest financial benefits for the region.
Under a revenue-sharing agreement, Homewood and East Hazel Crest are set to keep 2% of the casino’s adjusted gross receipts every month (the revenue that is left after the casino pays out its customers’ winning bets). Another 3% are set to be shared among a number of other suburbs in the area. The company that is set to develop and operate the proposed casino, has estimated tax revenue of $3 million to annually flow to East Hazel Crest and Homewood, plus another $4 million to be brought to the other communities every year.
The chief operating officer of Wind Creek, Brent Pinkston, confirmed the company’s partnership with Chicago Bulls, saying that the deal would help the operator establish a better level of credibility and presence in the local market as quickly as possible.
Currently, Wind Creek Hospitality is owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and manages the tribe’s gaming facilities, including casino venues and horse racing tracks.
The vice president of business development of the Chicago Bulls, Mark Levitt, said that the agreement will help support the team’s ongoing efforts to elevate the fans’ gameday experience at the United Center and on the team’s social media platforms.
The partnership with Chicago Bulls will also include digital content and social media sweepstakes. Wind Creek is also set to provide tickets to two of the team’s games this season to south suburban community groups. At the time when the partnership deal was announced, Chicago Bulls and Wind Creek Hospitality also noted that their collaboration, as well as the promotional events, are set to expand as soon as the casino starts operation.
