Saturday, June 24, 2006

As reported by the Illinois Herald News: "An enthusiastic report on the
Empress Casino Thursday was dampened a bit by questions about recent
layoffs. "Empress management, city officials and other community leaders
extolled the value of having the casino in Joliet during a formal request
for a renewal of its operating license. "The Illinois Gaming Board heard the
Empress' case for license renewal during a regular monthly meeting at the
Joliet casino. A vote on the license could come at the board's July meeting.
"While board members praised the Empress for an excellent presentation on
the good being done by the casino, they also had questions about 19 layoffs.
"The layoffs came this week as the Empress drops several table games and
replaces them with slot machines, which require fewer workers."