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Joliet wins with casino

JOILET, Illinois – As reported by the Kent County Daily Times: "It went from a city experiencing high unemployment rates and economic troubles to one of the county's fastest growing cities. Why the major economic growth spurt?

"Officials say it was a casino.

"Joliet, Ill., was a city that was dependent on the manufacturing industry. In the early 1980s, the city's unemployment rate reached 25 percent.

"In an effort to revitalize cities in Illinois, state legislators decided to issue 10 licenses to economically underserved areas. The state gaming board picked the locations and Joliet was one of them.

"Mayor Art Schultz took office in 1991 and the first casino was built in 1992. He describes the casino as a catalyst and the boost in the arm his city needed. The population increased from 80,000 residents in the early 1990s to about 146,000 in 2006.

"…The changes the city has seen in the last 14 years are incredible, according to Schultz.

"The city generates about $3 million a month from the Empress Casino Joliet and Harrah's Joliet Hotel and Casino.

"…Since the city started its riverboat gaming, it has given $25 million to nonprofit organizations, built a new museum, water park and library…"

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