South Central Reporter

Plans for a Williamson County gambling establishment are coming closer to fruition as the The Resort at Walker's Bluff just took a significant step forward in the the licensing process.

The Illinois Gaming Board recently granted a 'determination of preliminary suitability' to the The Resort at Walker's Bluff which allows the entity to begin construction on a temporary and permanent site with Board approval, according to WSILTV News.

"This is great news for Southern Illinois," Illinois State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) wrote in a June 10 Facebook post. "Plus, there was a commitment made to sign a project labor agreement. Which means the well-paying jobs created by this project will stay local."

Elite Casino Resorts now plans to do construction in one phase, and the $150 million development project is predicted to provide a significant boost to the local economy and create hundreds of jobs, WSILTV reported.

The casino resort will feature a 116-room hotel, retail stores, event center and restaurants; and will have more than 650 slot machines and 20 live table games available.

In November 2019, Walker's Bluff introduced plans for the casino, two hotels, event center, and water park after filing an application with The Illinois Gaming Board, WSILTV News previously reported.