by Neil Milbert

Hawthorne Race Course President Tim Carey’s bid to obtain the dormant tenth Illinois riverboat casino license was rejected by the Illinois Gaming Board at a special meeting on November 14.

The board’s five members voted to make developers in Rosemont, Des Plaines, and Waukegan the three finalists in the competition for the license, which could be awarded by the end of the year.

Charles Bidwill III, former president of bankrupt and now defunct Sportsman’s Park, is part of the Waukegan group.

Rosemont and Waukegan were unanimous choices while Des Plaines became a finalist by a 3-2 vote. The Hawthorne group, headed by Carey, did not receive any votes.

Carey’s principal partners in the unsuccessful venture were Ed Pilarz, president of Altium Development Group, an Illinois-based gaming developer; and Joseph Canfora, chief executive officer of Merit Management Group, an Illinois-based hotel and casino developer. Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka also was involved.

In addition to the Hawthorne group, developers from three other communities—Harvey, Country Club Hills, and Calumet City—did not make the cut.

Carey’s plans had called for the casino to be located on the 136-acre racetrack property in Stickney and be part of an extensive $500-million family entertainment complex known as Champions Casino and Resort.

“We want a world class racetrack to accompany this project,” Carey said when he announced in October that he was bidding for the license. “It’s going to be a racing facility that will rival anything in the U.S. This will change racing in Illinois.”

Neil Milbert is an Illinois-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent