Key IGB Meeting Passes With No Casino Progress; Lightfoot Criticizes Process

After another Illinois Gaming Board ( IGG ) meeting, applications for new casinos are not significantly closer to being accepted.

Six brand-new game certificates are available right now. Rockford, Waukegan, Danville, Williamson County, the southern cities, and Chicago are the areas where they are located.

In October 2019, some organizations submitted their uses. Only one group has been determined to be & ldquo in April 2021, and that group is not regarded as having received final approval.

That was the Hard Rock Casino Rockford.

The procedure has proceeded very slowly, and the end of April is reportedly another timeframe. However, it doesn’t seem likely that the IGB may match this deadline given the lack of important casino news at the April 21 meeting, aside from one amended software.

That’s how we arrived at this point, Here & rsquo.

The second IGB game and date were in October 2020.

According to the law, the IGB has a time to consider applications after receiving one. The board may, yet, call a specific public meeting or notify applicants in writing if the decision has been postponed.

The one-year date was October 2020 as many groups applied in October 2019.

On Oct. 27, IGB Administrator Marcus Fruchtersaid the board provided a written explanation for the delay to applicants.

Fruchter stated that pending candidates should realistically anticipate receiving a judgement within six months at the board meeting the following day.

Hard Rock Casino Rockford was initially deemed suited during that time. & rdquo,

With the exception of a few application amendments, We & rsquo has not heard anything about any other pending applicants. The Waukegan, Williamson County, Danville, and southern suburban license applications are still pending.

The Danville software wasn’t received by the IGB until November 2020, but the other applications were much earlier.

At the meeting, Fruchter addressed the Walker & rsquo, Bluff Casino Resort application amendment, but he did not provide a timeline for any of the applicants.

Illinois casino approach enrages lawmakers.

How much of the delay can be attributed to the IGB and how much to candidates is a mystery. Despite this, some Illinois politicians haven’t been afraid to criticize the IGB.

State Sen. Dave Syverson, who represents Illinois’ 35th District, has been among the most critical. With news that a Beloit, Wisconsin, casino approved near Rockford, Syverson said the following in March:

I’m hoping that this will serve as a wake-up call for the state, & ldquo, I & rsquo. In the past, we may have a lot of trouble winning the competition.

& ldquo, People will get used to going to a casino like that if Wisconsin beats us to the punch and gets( the casino ) opened, which will make it harder( to ) bring them back home. & rdquo,

Unfortunately, the Rockford game is the most developed area in the world. However, the IGB has not yet given its ultimate consent.

Meanwhile, State Rep. Anthony DeLuca and Kristi DeLaurentiis, executive director of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, wrote a letter to the IGB in August criticizing the delays.

Here’s an excerpt from Here & rsquo:

We respectfully remind you that this south suburban license is, & ldquo. A selection is denied if it is long overdue and delayed. It is not acceptable to use COVID-19 as an excuse for silence. The statute’s date is drawing near, and it is up to you to decide how almost a million people will fare in the future. & rdquo,

We still don’t know the status of the southern suburban casino project, which was two deadlines before.

Update on the Chicago game: Windy City is now accepting entrants

Although it has nothing to do with the IGB at this time, Chicago is moving the slowest of any new game area. Put Mayor Lori Lightfoot to the list of public officials who are critical of the board andrsquo, s speed, having said that.

Lightfoot said, via the Chicago Sun-Times:

& ldquo, we & rsquo must proceed quickly after presenting a proposal to them( IGB ). Once, I don’t want to judge it, but I’m thinking that it needs to move more quickly because it takes the game table a certain amount of time to complete its task. & rdquo,

The city of Chicago put out a Request For Proposals (RFP) today; these proposals from casino operators are due Aug. 23. Lightfoot has invited all of the biggest names to apply, including Las Vegas gaming companies.

By the end of 2021, Chicago intends to choose a winning play. The winner is then turn in its components to the IGB.

Though as Lightfoot noted, the approval process can take a long time. A Chicago casino is fun to think about, but at this point, it’s a long way from reality.