Tag Archives: Chicago casino

Chicago CasiNO!?

On February 28th, the Illinois Senate passed SB 7 - a massive gambling bill - by a vote of 31-26. Yet for lawmakers with an insatiable hunger for revenue at the expense of well-documented social costs, it wasn't enough. Yesterday, the Illinois Senate passed an amended version of SB 7 to exploit even more citizens, by a vote of 33-24 with 1 voting present. (See roll call chart below.)
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Counterpoint: A Chicago Casino Would Take Money Fom Illinois Residents

Remember when Illinois politicians told us revenue from riverboat casinos would come from out-of-state residents? Then surrounding states built casinos to compete with Illinois. Many of the same companies owned casinos in both states and profited from the expansion.

Now politicians, who are looking for more revenue to pay mounting bills, pension obligations and budget shortfalls, want a massive expansion of casino gambling.  This time, however, Illinois residents will be targeted to gamble and lose their money.

While some want to capture the money Illinois residents are losing in other states, a casino in Chicago will create more gamblers with …

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Ask Gov. Quinn to Veto SB 1849 Today!

Governor Patrick Quinn must decide if he will veto the massive gambling bill  SB 1849 today or tomorrow. This bill, sponsored by State Senator Terry Link (D-Lincolnshire) and State Representative Lou Lang (D-Skokie), would authorize five new casinos in Illinois. These casinos would be located in the cities of Chicago, Rockford, Danville, Park City, and one in the southern suburbs of Chicago. It would also add video slot machines at the existing six horse race tracks, bringing the total number of casino-like establishments in Illinois to twenty-one.  

The Chicago casino would have 4,000 gambling positions, over twice as many as …

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Gambling is No Revenue Generator

Gambling revenue promises are rarely met. Gambling interests are pushing for a vote on a massive expansion bill during the final days of the legislative session. SB 1849 legalizes 11 more casinos, including a city-owned casino in Chicago and six racetrack casinos.

During the past 21 years, legislators have legalized riverboat gambling, off-track betting, dockside gambling, advanced deposit wagering, Internet lottery and video gambling. With all that gambling revenue coming in, why does the state have such a large backlog of unpaid bills?

There would be little concern about how much gambling we have in Illinois if it were not …

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