Statement of Robert Clifford on Emerald Casino, Nov. 29, 2007

    The Illinois Supreme Court’s decision today refusing to review the merits of the December, 2005 revocation of the already-expired tenth license is not surprising.

    The statement issued by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office that the revocation order is final is an incomplete account of the status of the license.  That Office’s Press Release issued today ignores that the Gaming Board renewed Emerald Casino’s license on Feb. 21, 2007, for a period of four years that would extend through Feb. 21, 2011.  This action was taken under judicial order pursuant to Section 11.2 of the Illinois Riverboat Gaming Act which the Board had refused to follow since 1999.  The license has, in fact, been renewed and until the Illinois Gaming Board revokes the renewed license, the tenth license will remain unused.

    It is important to remember that a case is pending in federal court regarding the bankruptcy of the shareholders of Emerald Casino.  They had auctioned the license to reputable bidders after the initial bidders were found to be unsuitable.  With that case pending, and all of the important economic and civil rights still to be determined in federal court, the fate of Emerald Casino is not over.

    The shareholders of Emerald Casino are certain that fairness and equity will ultimately prevail and the rights to the tenth license will not be unjustly stripped from them.  Morever the people of the state of Illinois are entitled to have this license immediately put to work for the taxpayers as originally mandated by the legislature.  Emerald and its investors have never stood in the way of putting this license to work and has repeatedly attempted to accomplish putting the license to work and will continue to do so.