Approaching its third year of operation, the American Place casino now has an entertainment venue giving customers another precursor to the permanent luxury resort and casino which is expected to eventually open on a 40-acre parcel near the Fountain Square shopping center. Converting a portion of one of its three restaurants — L’Americain — into an entertainment venue, American Place Vice President and General Manager Jeff Babinski said the 220-seat facility will offer a variety of performances. Now known as The Lighthouse, Babinski said the facility is starting with comedians and will also book musical shows, giving customers another form of entertainment in addition to dining and gaming. Comedian Josh Blue opened The Lighthouse at the  American Place casino in Waukegan. (Steve Sadin/For the Lake County News-Sun) “Comedy lends itself to the size of the room,” Babinski said. “We’ll be looking for bands that appeal to people between 40 and 70 who like coming to a casino.” The Lighthouse opened Saturday at the American Place casino in Waukegan with two performances featuring comedian Josh Blue, adding an entertainment component to the establishment along with the existing table games, slot machines, sportsbook and restaurant. “This is the first show in the Lighthouse and it went very well,” Babinski said after the performance. “It’s a small, intimate venue which gives people a chance to enjoy the entertainment.” As he talked to the crowd amidst laughter, Blue explained how he crafts his material as he worked to warm the audience to him. Much of his humor is self-deprecating, as he refers to how he deals with his own cerebral palsy. “You take an idea and then you take another idea. You put them together and make them funny,” Blue said. “I have a neighbor who’s colorblind. He’s also a racist,” he added, getting laughter from the crowd. Greg and Sandy Loebbaka of Wheaton were among the crowd listening to Blue. Frequent visitors to American Place, said they liked Blue’s humor as well as the overall environment. “He’s a riot,” Greg Loebbaka said “We come here and to the (casino) in Milwaukee,” Sandy Loebbaka added. “Now that they have this, we’re not going to bother with the one to the north anymore.” The American Place casino is approaching its third year of operation in Waukegan. (Photo courtesy of American Place) Stephanie Eastman was another attendee of the show at The Lighthouse. She also said she liked the addition to the casino. She likes the opportunity to mix other forms of entertainment to the gaming. Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Babinski said American Place is continually among the five or six most-visited casinos of the 16 located in Illinois, according to Illinois Gaming Board reports. Only American Place and Bally’s in Chicago are temporary operations. Though Blue joked as he opened his performance, “I’ve never played in a tent before,” Babinski said once an individual enters the casino, there is no indication the temporary structure is anything but a casino. “It’s amazing here,” he said. “You have no idea this is a temporary structure. We’re very happy with what we’ve been able to do. We have 621 team members who work hard to make this place successful.” Musicians perform on the floor of the American Place casino. (Photo courtesy of American Place) Gamblers have their choice of 46 table games, including blackjack, roulette and craps, as well as 943 slot machines. Though some of the games are high stakes, Babinski said there is an effort to be inclusive. “You won’t see a $15-dollar (minimum) table on a Saturday night at other casinos in the area,” Babinski said. “We make sure we have at least two. We try to make games available for all players.” The Lighthouse provides patrons with something that will also be part of the permanent casino when it opens with its 1,500-seat showroom. Babinski said there are regular shows planned for the new venue. “It’s something of a precursor,” he said. A crowd gathers at the Lighthouse at the American Place casino in Waukegan. (Steve Sadin/For the Lake County News-Sun) Shortly after the Waukegan Planning and Zoning Commission approved the site plan for the permanent resort and casino in August of 2023, two court cases put a hold on the development plans. Alex Stolyar, the senior vice president and chief development officer of American Place owner Full Resorts, said the company had to put a temporary hold on the development because of lawsuits against both the city of Waukegan and the Illinois Gaming Board, to which neither American Place nor Full House are involved. “You can’t have a development when there is a question of the gaming license in front of the courts,” Stolyar said. The Forest County Potawatomi Community of Wisconsin is appealing the dismissal of its case in federal court against the city of Waukegan for not sending its application to the Illinois Gaming Board for consideration as it did for the other applicants. The Potawatomi Community is also appealing the dismissal of its case against the city and the gaming board challenging the award of the casino license to Full House to the Illinois Supreme Court. Stewart Weiss, an attorney with Waukegan corporation counsel Elrod Friedman, said the city and gaming board presented oral arguments to the state Supreme Court in September and are awaiting a decision. Weiss said oral arguments were heard on Oct. 30 in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago on the federal case. The city is awaiting a decision on that case as well.