Illinois House passes gambling expansion bill

The bill was revived in Illinois as it passed the House but it has few chances to win approval before Thursday’s adjournment.

US.- A gambling expansion bill gained momentum on Monday as it was revived in Illinois House but got stalled in a committee. While it seems like it won’t likely win approval before Thursday, the lead sponsor of the bill said that he will continue to work on it.

Robert Rita, lead sponsor of Senate Bill 7, said: “I want to analyze it and figure out where we can massage something, in terms of the testimony today,” Rita said. “I’m going to continue to work on this. I’m not going to close the door now,” he added.

Jay Keller, a representative of Penn National Gaming, which operates casinos in Illinois, said that SB 7 would authorise 22,000 new gaming positions, and added to what Illinois already features, it would give the state the equivalent of 52 casinos. “This bill is a massive expansion and would put Illinois at a level that people would consider (acceptable),” he said.

Moreover, the executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association, Tom Swoik, said that the state’s 10 existing casinos lost 28 per cent of their customer base after video gaming terminals got legalised in the state. He questioned the proposal as he said that adding six new casinos, slot machines at horse racing tracks and other provisions would only make the problem worse. “This is not an expansion proposal, this is a cannibalization proposal,” Swoik testified at the House Executive Committee.

However, it is believed that the bill would help improve finances for the horse racing industry. Danville Mayor Scott Eisenhauer, whose city would get a casino under the expansion bill, said that a casino would provide 650 permanent jobs in a community that is “economically stagnant.”