Chicago Mayor pushes casino proposals

Two proposals for a Chicago casino are on the table as Mayor Lori Lightfoot is pushing them both.

US.- The gambling expansion in Illinois will see the industry substantially grow in the short-term. That’s why Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is pushing the development of a casino there.

Mayor Lightfoot is driving forward two options for a venue. The first vows for a mixed ownership: shared by the city and the state. The other one would just be a privately-owned development.

Despite Mayor’s push for a Chicago casino, she asked the Legislature to favour its arrival. Most noteworthy, she wants them to approve lower taxes than the ones that the expanded gambling legislation set.

Proposed locations

The Chicago Mayor announced in July that the city has submitted five possible casino sites. This is part of the state’s massive gambling expansion approved earlier this year.

Four of the five sites consist largely of publicly-owned land, REjournals reports. The sites near the Harborside International Golf Center, the former Michael Reese site, erstwhile public housing at Pershing Road and State Street, the South Works site and the lone West Side location.

“While a Chicago casino had been talked about for more than 30 years, today we are moving forward to ensure the new casino is viable for Chicago and all of its communities,” Lightfoot said. “Thanks to our partnership with Governor Pritzker, Speaker Madigan, President Cullerton and other state leaders, together we are advancing a shared vision for new revenues that will benefit Chicago’s severely underfunded pension funds while generating new jobs and economic opportunity for communities across the city.”