Ahead of the opening of Wind Creek Chicago Southland, a massive job fair was planned in Harvey on Thursday. The event, taking place at the Harvey Park District’s Gloria Taylor Center, was expected to help the casino hire a wide range of employees, filling some of the 1,000 open roles.

However, while hundreds of job applicants were ready in the early morning, the job fair didn’t take place. This left disappointed nearly 300 people who sought new employment at Wind Creek Chicago Southland.

As announced by the Chicago Tribune, citing information from Wind Creek Casino officials, Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark contacted Brent Pinkston, the chief operating officer for Wind Creek Hospitality, less than 20 minutes before the job fair’s planned start at 10 AM and asked him to cancel the event. The reason for the cancellation of the job fair was reportedly concerns related to mass crowd forming.

The future gaming, hospitality and entertainment destination is anticipated to start hiring employees at some point in August. This is why the job fair was a major milestone in that process. Yet, despite people signing up, the event was called off, leaving both the casino and job applicants disappointed.

Kisha McCaskill, Harvey Park District’s executive director, revealed that at 10 AM on Thursday, there were more than 100 people who arrived for the job fair. “These are people that took time off of their jobs, people that took time away from their children, these are people that are struggling,” she said.

McCaskill added that the canceled job fair was a major “disappointment for the people.” Last but not least, she explained: “As of the time that it was shut down, we already had 286 people signed in.”

Harvey Spokesperson Says Wind Creek Decided to Cancel the Event

Glenn Harston, a Harvey spokesperson, claimed that it wasn’t the Mayor’s decision to call off the job fair. In an email, the spokesperson said that Mayor Clark contacted a representative of Wind Creek as he was concerned about the size of the crowd that was expected to gather at the event.

Moreover, per Harston’s words, the Mayor was concerned whether the event center would be able to accommodate the many people who may turn out. Clark’s worries also revolved around the insufficient presence of law enforcement and the fire department as a means to guarantee the safety of the event.

According to Harston, after Clark presented those claims to the representative of Wind Creek, they decided to call off the job fair. “The decision to cancel the job fair was made by Wind Creek, not by the Mayor or the City,” the spokesperson wrote.

At this point, it remains unclear when another job fair may be organized. Still, the opening for Wind Creek Chicago Southland is planned for later this summer.

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A group of four individuals from Illinois is facing charges in connection with a sophisticated baccarat scam that reportedly swindled the Wind Creek Bethlehem casino out of a staggering $300,000. The alleged scheme, involving six individuals in total, unfolded in the early hours of March 13, culminating in the detention of the four accused parties.

Illinois Group Employed Strategic Card Placement and Cellphone Tracking

According to court documents, Zu Lin, Yuhan Hu, Liping Zhou, and Zhencan Chen, all residents of Illinois, were apprehended by authorities following the departure of two other members of their group, Fuxiang Liu, and alleged ringleader Qingyong Zhang, reported local media outlet Lehigh Valley Live. The incident occurred around 7 a.m. at the Wind Creek Gaming Office.

Police reports suggest that the scam commenced shortly before 4 a.m. as the six individuals congregated at a reserved baccarat table on the casino floor. Qingyong Zhang, the purported mastermind, employed various techniques, including strategic card positioning and covert cell phone use, to track the order of cards as the deck was shuffled.

Subsequently, Zhang and Hu temporarily left the gaming area, reconvening at Hu’s hotel room before returning to the table to resume play. At approximately 5:10 a.m., Zhang allegedly signaled for the group to escalate their betting activity, prompting a series of lucrative wins over the ensuing half-hour.

Following their successful stint at the baccarat table, the group dispersed, with Zhang and Liu exiting the premises while the remaining four members engaged in other games within the casino. During interrogation, Hu disclosed that Zhang had compensated him with $5,000 for his participation, with all proceeds from the operation reportedly funneled to Zhang himself.

The Four Members of the Gourp Face Felony Charges

Further investigation revealed prior involvement in similar illicit gambling activities by Hu and Zhou in Illinois and Missouri, respectively. Consequently, the four apprehended individuals are facing felony charges of participation in a corrupt organization. While Lin, Hu, and Chen managed to post bail set at $100,000, Zhou remains in custody at Northampton County Prison.

Notably, the accused individuals, aged between 28 and 51, all hail from Chicago, with Lin being the exception, originating from Mount Vernon, Illinois. Legal representatives for the defendants have yet to provide comment on the matter, leaving lingering questions surrounding the intricate web of deception orchestrated within the confines of the Wind Creek Bethlehem casino.

Baccarat is seemingly a coveted mark for scammers. Recently authorities in Pennsylvania have been actively searching for Jianchu Liu, a 47-year-old Chinese national suspected of involvement in a professional cheating ring targeting baccarat games at casinos across the United States, including Mohegan Pennsylvania. 

Liu’s alleged sophisticated cheating method involved recording card sequences with his cellphone, prompting casino surveillance to identify him. Despite a warrant for his arrest on fraud-related charges, Liu remains at large, and authorities are seeking public assistance in locating him. This incident adds to a series of recent baccarat-related cheating scandals, including accusations against a Mohegan Sun dealer in January.

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Rocky Mountain Gaming has signed definitive deals with Minter Holdings and G Investments, allowing it to acquire the operating assets of two major casino properties. The agreement, if approved by Colorado’s gambling regulator, would add Johnny Nolon’s Casino and Colorado Grande Casino to Rocky Mountain Gaming’s portfolio.

Johnny Nolon’s Casino is one of the original casinos in Cripple Creek. Acquiring it and the Colorado Grande Casino will allow Rocky Mountain Gaming to dominate the town’s legendary gaming district. The two properties the latter company set out to acquire have a total of 400 gaming devices and 7 hotel rooms. In addition, Colorado Grande Casino operates Maggie’s Restaurant on its premises.

For reference, both properties are managed by David Minter through Minter Holdings. Minter is the sole owner of Johnny Nolon and the majority owner of Colorado Grande’s operating assets.

Rocky Mountain Gaming is the brainchild of David D. Ross, Michael J. Gaughan III and Joseph J. Canfora and is a venture that allows them to explore gaming opportunities in the United States. The first two men have worked together for over three decades in senior management for a number of influential casino companies. Canfora, on the other hand, is a casino veteran with over four decades of experience in the gaming and hospitality industry.

Minter Is Optimistic about the Properties’ Future

Canfora commented on the new venture with Ross and Gaughan, saying that he was surprised when they first invited him to return to the Cripple Creek market. After he thought about it for a while, Canfora realized that Johnny Nolon’s and Colorado Grande present a unique opportunity to conserve the old Cripple Creek atmosphere local players love.

Ross also commented on the matter, saying that the local market has been growing fast thanks to companies like Golden Nugget. This has attracted new players to Cripple Creek, revitalizing the local industry. Ross concluded that his team hopes to capitalize on the influx of people and cater to the needs of players seeking loose slots and personal service.

David Minter also commented on the matter, saying that he is proud of Johnny Nolon’s Casino and Colorado Grande Casino’s progress over the past few years.

While other casinos were coming and going and changing owners, we were a constant in this town. I look forward to seeing what Rocky Mountain Gaming CC brings to these casinos I love so much.
David J. Minter

Speaking of Colorado, the state just published information about the performance of its sports betting industry.

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The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors gave the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians approval on March 1 to construct a $300 million luxury tribal casino resort on the current River Rock Casino near Geyserville.

The gaming venue will replace the tribe-owned River Rock Casino and be built on the property located in the Alexandria Valley.

Since the Graton Casino Resort in Rohnert Park was launched in 2013, River Rock casino has suffered financially. The casino is owned by Federated Band of Graton Rancheria and is the largest gaming venue in Northern California. It cuts down on visits to River Rock via the Bay Area.

Graton Rancheria is also making plans to expand its gaming section significantly and build another hotel tower. The already troubled River Rock casino will face even more issues once these new additions are completed. However, the new casino could seriously threaten Graton’s grasp on the local gaming market after completion.

In a statement to the board, Dry Creek Rancheria president Chris Wright revealed that the tribe looked forward to working with the government in the future.

“I think we’ve come up with an MOA (memorandum of agreement) that is fair to the tribe and fair to the county. I look forward to a government to government relationship going forward,” Wright said.

River Rock Casino consists of a 60,000-square-foot gaming hall with 1,200 slot machines. The new casino resort will have a gaming hall of approximately the same size but with 300 more slot machines. It will also have a 300-room hotel, a spa, a wedding chapel, and several other amenities.

Per the terms of the agreement, the Dry Creek Rancheria tribe was expected to pay $750,000 to the county annually for at least four years after the project was completed. When the time elapses, a 2% annual increase will be required. However, no matter the revenue reeled in, the amounts paid each year will not exceed $1.5 million.

The current plans for the casino project are a compromise between Sonoma County and the tribe. Several parties are against the casino expansion, including the Alexander Valley Association, which represents the county’s families, businesses, and farmers.

Karin Warnelius-Miller, the association’s president, revealed that they were incensed by the expansion and had no intentions of standing down. The association has been part of some previous negotiations.

In 2008 the Dry Creeks tribe proposed to build an 88,000-square-foot casino with around 3,000 poker machines and a hotel with 600 rooms but altered its plans. They also decided to forestall the building of another gaming venue on the property located in Petaluma, at least until 2032.

According to an earlier agreement with the state, the tribe was permitted to construct another casino in Sonoma County. They agreed to push back the project for around 10 years, and in return, the Sonoma County officials would forgo the 2020 and 2021 annual $750,000 revenue payment required from the tribe.

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The announcement has come after the Florida Gaming Management Fee has given the inexperienced mild for the switch of all belongings and gaming licenses held by the on line casino’s present house owners to the authority of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. The latter is the one Indian Tribe in Alabama acknowledged by the federal authorities. 

Extra Enlargement Alternatives 

In keeping with the newly inked settlement, Wind Creek Hospitality’s wholly-owned subsidiary Gretna Racing, LLC can be extending its presence in one other massive metropolitan space within the US by penetrating the Miami, Florida market with its land-based video games. 

Wind Creek guardian Poarch Band of Creek Indians’ chief govt officer and tribal Stephanie Bryan referred to as their growth in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Florida in current information will deliver the tribe extra development probabilities. Bryan additionally spoke about their pleasure to develop into a “valued accomplice within the Miami group.”

Due to the contemporary brick-and-mortar facility in Miami, Wind Creek Hospitality will benefit from the perks of becoming a member of a “new and vibrant market”.

What the Future Holds

The group that manages the tribe’s gaming services has introduced that it’s going to not disrupt operations at Magic Metropolis On line casino within the close to future. On the similar time, they introduced they’d make just a few modifications to the venue. Amongst them, is the inclusion of Magic Metropolis gamers within the Wind Creek Rewards and Categorical Provides loyalty applications by the top of the present 12 months.

As said by Wind Creek’s chief govt officer and president Jay Dorris, Southern Florida is of course related to their properties within the Florida Panhandle, Aruba & Curacao, and Alabama. Dorris added that the on line casino’s location subsequent to the Worldwide Airport in Miami turns it into a superb place for gamers in any respect Wind Creek properties. 

In the meanwhile, Wind Creek Hospitality is accountable for managing Wind Creek Chicago Southland, a 70,000-square-foot on line casino internet hosting 1,350 slot machines and 56 desk video games anticipated to draw 800 jobs within the south suburban space. 

The group additionally manages the Aruba, Bethlehem, Atmore, Curacao, Montgomery, and Wetumpka venues, together with Nevada’s Wa She Shu On line casino location, the racetracks in Florida, Alabama and Casinoverse, which is Wind Creek’s new fantasy gaming app.

The group that tries to show friends’ mundane lives right into a fantasy universe filled with video games and fascinating leisure inked a multi-year partnership with the Chicago Bulls, agreeing to provide the groups’ followers an enhanced expertise on the new East Hazel Crest & Homewood on line casino.

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