This casino is about 7 miles from my house.


JOLIET — The fire that struck the Empress Casino on Friday has impact far beyond shutting down the gambling floor.

(ed) Which is STILL burning..

The Empress is one of the city's larger employers with roughly 850 workers at a time when unemployment has hit 11.4 percent in Joliet.

The city of Joliet itself is looking at layoffs because of budget shortfalls attributed in large part to a drop-off in casino tax revenue related to the weak economy.

And, the Empress does millions of dollars in business with other companies as was evident in a $50 million renovation project underway when the fire struck.

(ed) even more than $50 mil now..

That renovation may have sparked today's blaze, which is believed to have started in a section of the Empress pavilion where construction work was taking place.

The potential of even deeper losses in casino tax revenue no doubt created new worries at Joliet City Hall, where officials already have raised the prospect of anywhere between 65 and 258 layoffs because of budget shortfalls.

But Joliet City Manager Thomas Thanas said, "We're going to focus on fighting the fire and making sure that everyone is safe. We know there are implications for people working at the Empress, for companies doing business with the Empress, and for state and city revenues. We'll take inventory of that later."

The extent of the blaze's impact on future operations at the Empress was uncertain as firefighters continued to the blaze.

An Empress spokesman said the company would not comment on the fire until the situation was under control.

The fire started in the pavilion area which customers pass through on their way to the casino floor. The casino is located on a barge, while the pavilion is a permanent structure.

The pavilion was slated for major improvements as part of the $50 million project. The plan includes a new piano bar, a remodeled steakhouse, and dramatic cosmetic changes in the entryway to the casino.

The renovations were announced last year as a long overdue face-lift for the Empress after years of uncertainty under changing ownership.

The casino has changed hands three times since 1999.

The current owner is Penn National Gaming, which last year averted an attempt by state regulators to force it to sell the casino.

Penn National argued that the casino needed stable ownership. The $50 million renovation plan was first announced by Penn National as it was making its case for continued ownership to the Illinois Gaming Board in early 2008.

Penn National is the fourth owner of the Empress.

A group of local investors opened the casino in 1992. They sold the casino to Horseshoe Gaming in 1999.

The Illinois Gaming Board forced a sale of the Empress because of concerns about Horseshoe owner Jack Binion. Horseshoe sold the casino to Argosy Gaming, a company that later was sold to Penn National. Penn National already owned Hollywood Casino in Aurora, and the Gaming Board only signed off on the Argosy deal with an agreement that Penn National would sell the Empress.

But the Gaming Board agreed to let Penn National keep the Empress last year.