\n“There is a grand bargain being negotiated,” the governor told reporters this week. “I believe new revenues through the casino are part of that grand bargain, and I’ve said I’m open to whatever package can move the needle to a balanced budget.”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nCasino expansion won’t singlehandedly solve Illinois’ monetary woes, but it would collect $300 million in licensing fees upfront\u00a0should SB 7 become law.<\/p>\n
Tax revenue from the six casinos would be partially used to fund state schools, which have seen funding drastically cut over the last several years. SB 7 explains that the statewide cumulative reduction in pre-K through 12 education aid since 2009 has exceeded $861 million.<\/p>\n
The legislation now moves to the state House, where it’s currently in the chamber’s Executive Committee.<\/p>\n
Chicago Casino<\/b><\/h2>\n
The holy grail of Illinois gambling is of course Chicago. SB 7 would allow the state’s largest city to host one of the gambling venues. However, unlike the potential five other casinos, the Chicago property would be city-owned.<\/p>\n
\n
Chicago’s recent track record at running things hasn’t been\u00a0rosy, as crime and shootings in the Windy City are at near-epidemic levels.<\/p>\n
In May alone, 29 persons have been killed by gunfire\u00a0in Chicago, and another 153 have been shot and wounded. According to 2017 city statistics, a person is shot every two minutes and 42 seconds, and a person is murdered every 14 hours.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Illinois casino expansion is one step closer to bringing land-based commercial gambling to the state. This week, the Illinois Senate passed a measure 33-24 that calls for the authorization of up to six casinos. The state presently only allows riverboat gambling and pari-mutuel betting on horse racing. Authored by State Senate Majority Leader Terry Link […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":50645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,18,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Illinois Casino Expansion Passes Senate, State Has $14.3 Billion in Bills<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n