A spokesman for the Ho-Chunk Nation says the group has placed bids on 300 of the 423 acres it wants to buy for its proposed casino and entertainment complex near the Illinois-Indiana state line.

Illinois Democratic Congressman Jesse Jackson Junior says the project could help Chicago's southern suburbs by bringing in an estimated 50,000 new jobs, but a number of communities in both Illinois and Indiana have gone on record in opposition to the plans.

Opponents say a casino would invite increased crime and traffic congestion in the area.