Chicago Casino Bill Derailed By ‘Letters to Santa’ in Illinois Legislature

Written By Derek Helling on December 18, 2019Last Updated on March 9, 2022
Letters to Santa derail Chicago casino measure

The revenue structure for a possible future entertainment center in the Windy City has already been changed by the state of Illinois, but more may be required to draw in developers. That issue was sought to be resolved by a game settlement in Chicago that Mayor Lori Lightfoot supported.

However for the mayor of Chicago, the proposal failed. Even though there is hope for another push in the upcoming parliamentary session, politicians played a bigger role in this effort’s failure than the item itself.

The failure of the Lightfoot Casino Compromise in Chicago

Lightfoot said that the vote was very close, coming down to just five short of the necessary 60. She further felt that it was due to outside interests, not whether the details of her proposal constituted solid policy.

According to Lightfoot, issues first surfaced when a state senator was detained in connection with bribing officials regarding various gambling laws. But despite her best attempts, she almost overcame that obstacle.

The proposal was further criticized by other state senators. According to Lightfoot, they attempted to decorate the Christmas tree with & ldquo, tinsel. & rdquo,

In an effort to take advantage of a chance, these legislators sought to add their own amendments to Lightfoot & rsquo’s bill. Lightfoot continued her comparison, describing how people and ldquo were emerging from the wood carrying characters to Santa. & rdquo,

As a result, the estimate was unsuccessful. Lightfoot is committed to giving it another go in the beginning of the following month. The success of her job could determine the overall project.

Why it might remain important and what Lightfoot wanted

Lightfoot & rsquo’s proposal aimed to achieve three goals:

  • Reduce the cost of development for a possible designer
  • Increase the city & rsquo’s portion of casino revenue.
  • Reduce the state & rsquo’s cut of casino revenue.

As was to be expected, some state senators rejected the idea. They claimed that when they passed this year’s expansion bill on playing, it may harm the jobs the condition had in mind.

While that might be the case, Lightfoot & rsquo’s proposal is consistent with the moderation that has already been implemented. The condition has previously abandoned its initial strategy.

After the state passed its last gambling expansion law in June, it commissioned a study on the best place to place a potential future Chicago casino. That study came back with a perhaps unexpected result.

The state & rsquo’s evolving stance on a brand-new casino in Chicago

The study’s findings revealed the tax structure was too onerous for a Chicago casino to be profitable. Because of that, the state recently revised that structure.

Lightfoot’s support for the act was a reflection of how she felt about the investigation. Lightfoot believed more was required, despite the fact that the condition has taken some steps to make the project more appropriate.

She might get correct. The cost to build such a service in Chicago is still an huge funding for any developer, even with the revised tax structure.

The amount of time required to recover the funding may increase as a result. Taxes falls are one way to make up for that.

If the city’s cut of revenues isn & rsquo, t large enough, that situation also becomes challenging for it. the same way that position politicians are worried about their Chicago is the main focus of Lightfoot & rsquo’s own districts.

Lightfoot might have more success when the condition Legislature meets again in January. However, the bill & rsquo’s success may depend on whether other state interests will permit it.

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Helling, Derek

Helling, Derek is a lead writer for PlayUSA and the manager of BetHer. He is a 2013 graduate of the University of Iowa and covers the intersections of sports with business and the law.

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