Madigan “prepared to support” Chicago casino
Tuesday, May 7, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Capitol News Illinois has updated its story about Speaker Madigan. Click here for more, but let’s focus on this part for now…
Madigan said, passing sports betting will require the cooperation of many interests, including gaming CEOs, racetracks, video poker representatives and more.
“It’s always been very contentious,” he said. “It’s no different this time than any prior legislative session.”
Madigan also said he’d be “prepared to support” a casino in Chicago, either city-owned or private.
* More from the SJ-R…
When it comes to sports betting, Madigan said he’s not certain whether it will get tied up with other gaming legislation.
“You can go in one of two directions; you could have a sports betting bill that only deals with sports betting, or you can have one that deals with sports betting plus the other issues,” he said.
A lobbyist for the city of Chicago said at a recent hearing on the topic that outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration will support sports betting if a casino for the city is included.
While Madigan said he would be prepared to support a city-owned casino in Chicago, this is something else that could go two ways.
“It can be city-owned, or it can be like the other casinos,” he said. “That’s something that would be resolved here in the legislature.”
* Related…
* Gov. Pritzker optimistic he’ll get his legislative wish list: The idea of a casino to generate revenue is not new. Regional differences have slowed attempts to expand gaming in Illinois. Pritzker said he doesn’t want “regional disputes” to upend the process. When asked if he backs a Chicago casino, Pritzker said that what he is focused on is making sure lawmakers maximize the opportunity to balance the budget.
* Waukegan mayor extols the virtues of ‘shovel-ready’ casino proposal
- OneMan - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 9:25 am:
At this point I suspect to see Oprah appear and go..
You get a casino, you get a casino…
Still say if you have a casino in your municipality you have to allow video gaming and sports betting with limited reasonable restrictions.
- Fax Machine - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 9:29 am:
Adding ornaments to get the Christmas tree passed.
- RNUG - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 9:33 am:
The sausage making has begun …
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 9:34 am:
Yeah, sounds like the Christmas tree is going to fall over.
The City of Chicago owning a casino is a bad idea to me too. There is still a ton of corruption in City government. Look look the red light camera contracts. People want to give the City a casino. It is going to turn into the movie Casino.
- Regular democrat - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 9:44 am:
Sports betting inside a land based non city owned casino downtown or near south could be best option
- Anonymous - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 9:48 am:
Thompson Center Casino.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 9:48 am:
We’re long past the point where the state is regulating the spread of casinos for any social or “moral” concerns. They’re all over the Midwest and the rest of the country.
And “Rivers” in Des Plaines marked the end to any fiction that casinos were being placed to benefit “distressed” areas.
Now the state’s limits are effectively a protection racket for existing license holders, holding down competition.
I’d like to see the state take the lid off licenses, jack up the rate and state rake on the handle, and let the market do its thing.
The caveats would be a requirement for home rule approval and existing licensees could not just pull up stakes and move. They’d have to turn in their license to the state and reapply. That would provide a layer of protection for communities that currently have casinos.
- City Zen - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 10:04 am:
==It is going to turn into the movie Casino.==
Ladies and Gentleman, the Illinois Teachers/State University/Judicial/State Employee/General Assembly Retirement Systems Hotel & Casino proudly present the all-new Pritzker Show: Taxes High. Featuring…
Debt re-amortization illusionist Ralph Martire
The comedic stylings of Ed Burke’s Puppets
Story time with Susana
Finance mentalist Dan Hynes
And The Madigan House Band
- A guy - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 10:11 am:
A Chicago Casino was always simply a “matter of time” when the first floaters were approved. What’s amazing is just how much time it has taken. As Sling said, we are surrounded by it on all sides, and in most cases, by more appealing venues without many of the constraints that frankly have done nothing but make them less competitive.
Get it over with.
- Chicagonk - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 10:12 am:
Chicago lawmakers that support expanding sports betting need to hold out on any expansion without a Chicago casino being included. This is just common sense.
- revvedup - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 10:13 am:
A City-owned casino??…
“The fools know not what they would do” if this is allowed by the Legislature. The payola will be bad enough with a privately-run casino.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 10:37 am:
Ok but keep it at O’Hare
- lake county democrat - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 10:55 am:
Waukegan is the perfect place for a casino - get some of that Illinois-to-Milwaukee money, could put it right on the lakefront near the Metra stop and build a resort around it.
However you feel about legalized gaming, you should be happy at the thought of all that tourist/Chicagoland money going to Horseshoe and Four Winds staying in-state.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 10:59 am:
–Ok but keep it at O’Hare–
“Rivers” is O’Hare.
- Amalia - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 11:03 am:
this makes sense. Madigan and company know the gaming industry longer than the weed industry. they know who benefits and how. gambling first, weed waits.
- Cheryl44 - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 12:14 pm:
The thing about a casino is that it doesn’t matter where you put it in a city, people who want to gamble will go. So find an economically distressed neighborhood with lots of open land for the building and ample parking and put it there.
- Union thug - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 12:30 pm:
Put as many casinos you want in the State. However at no point should these be run or owne3by the goverment. That includes Chicago. Way too much bad can come from it.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 12:44 pm:
–So find an economically distressed neighborhood with lots of open land for the building and ample parking and put it there.–
That would make sense. I hope Lightfoot thinks the same way, but there are lurkers out there who think differently.
I know some of the pooh-bahs at McCormick Place would like a casino operator to tear down and replace Lakeside Center. Or, if not that, Michael Reese Hospital.
And Trump Tower still has 70,000 square feet of empty, never-leased retail space, due to its ludicrous design and location.
- California Guy - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 12:48 pm:
A casino owned by the City of Chicago sounds like an article from The Onion. Rigged slot machines, sketchy contracts, and a casino board made up of City Council campaign staffers/refugees.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 1:16 pm:
==And Trump Tower still has 70,000 square feet of empty, never-leased retail space, due to its ludicrous design and location.==
At least we could get back some of that lost $14.1 million in property tax due to the Vacancy Relief Provision. But the risk is Trump isn’t such a good manager. He has had casinos go bankrupt before. How you can go bankrupt running a casino?
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 1:28 pm:
–How you can go bankrupt running a casino?–
Skimming, laundering money, incompetently.
- PublicServant - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 3:11 pm:
All in for a Chicago City-owned casino to cut out the private middleman.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 3:30 pm:
–A casino owned by the City of Chicago sounds like an article from The Onion. Rigged slot machines, sketchy contracts, and a casino board made up of City Council campaign staffers/refugees.–
Me know Chicago. Al Capone, bang-bang.
- Boone's is Back - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 4:04 pm:
MJM and Daley were always against gambling and a Chicago casino. Desperate times call for desperate measures!
- Troutmask23 - Tuesday, May 7, 19 @ 10:48 pm:
A Chicago Casino should be by McCormick Place, it is tourism and convention. It brings jobs and tax revenues to an area of Chicago that needs investment. Locating it in McCormick Square or on the Michael Reese site makes the most sense. The City needs Farpoint to buy Reese and get it off the books.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Wednesday, May 8, 19 @ 8:13 am:
==Chicago Casino should be by McCormick Place, it is tourism and convention. It brings jobs and tax revenues to an area of Chicago that needs investment.==
That is absolutely the WORST place to put a casino. The people who put on the trades shows don’t want attendees to be distracted by casinos and they have said they will pull out their shows if there is one nearby. We don’t need an empty convention center.
- A guy - Wednesday, May 8, 19 @ 9:00 am:
==The people who put on the trades shows don’t want attendees to be distracted by casinos and they have said they will pull out their shows if there is one nearby. ==
Sure. There aren’t any conventions in Las Vegas. /s
- wordslinger - Wednesday, May 8, 19 @ 4:28 pm:
–The people who put on the trades shows don’t want attendees to be distracted by casinos and they have said they will pull out their shows if there is one nearby–
That has been a selling point employed by Mac Place for Chicago vs. Las Vegas and Orlando for some time. Keep attendees on the show floor in the relative isolation of Mac Place, rather than have them wandering off to the nearby casinos, strip clubs, swimming pools, theme parks, golf courses, etc.
Some shows buy it, some don’t. Depends on their business model and who the cash cow is — attendees or exhibitors.