Mayor Lightfoot Gives Ambitious Update On Chicago Casino Next Steps

During the first quarter of 2022, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot expressed her desire to have the Illinois Gaming Board ( IGB ) receive a final list of potential Chicago casino players.

In late October, the city received five bids for its casino license. Bally’s, Rush Street Gaming and Hard Rock all submitted proposals.

The Chicago casino will help fund police and fire pension funds. Lightfoot said at her Friday presser via the Chicago Sun-Times:

As you are aware, the money from that casino will pay for our police and fire pensions, and there is no time like the present for that, so & ldquo, We & rsquo are very, very interested in moving this process along as quickly as possible. & rdquo,

The ideas, according to Lightfoot, were all very intriguing, strong, and well-thought-out. & rdquo,

The president, however, stated that development groups will probably have a chance to provide to the city before recommending labels for the IGB. She remarked:

& ldquo, Our team is still reviewing and examining them. We anticipate inviting the numerous respondents on and allowing them to give presentations. & rdquo,

If Lightfoot is going to accomplish her objective of recommending entrants to the IGB by the end of the first quarter of 2022, that would have to happen soon.

And as we know, the IGB does not have a history of evaluating casino applications quickly. Still, after about two years of inactivity, the city is making progress on its long-touted casino project.

A look at the game software in Chicago

Rush Street Gaming received bids from two development groups, while Bally & rsquo submitted two proposals. One suggestion was made by Hard Rock.

What we know about the suggested sites is as follows:

Chicago: Bally & rsquo: & nbsp, Chicago Tribune Publishing Center
• Chicago’s Bally & rsquo: & nbsp, McCormick Place Truck Marshaling Yard
• Rivers Chicago at McCormick LLC: & nbsp, Lakeside Center’s McMick Place
• Rivers 78 Gaming LLC’s development site in the south loop is located at & nbsp and Chicago, respectively.
• Chicago’s Hard Rock: Mysterious

The Bally’s bids would each be $1.6 billion investments. Bally’s is making a big push in Illinois, as it now operates what used to be known as Jumer’s Casino & Hotel in western IL.

While Hard Rock is building a game in Rockford, Rush Street Gaming is significantly invested in Rivers Casino in Des Plaines.

Given that comedian co-founder Neil Bluhm is serious and has a history of success in the state, it would appear that Rush Street Gaming is strongly likely to obtain the license. Rush Street even withdrew its application for a Waukegan game permit, signaling that it was all-in on Chicago.

With that said, Lightfoot has said that “there are no hometown favorites” for the license. And Bally’s and Hard Rock should offer serious competition.

It will be amazing to delve into the specifics of each plan if presentations are made available to the public.

The most recent information on Waukegan, north residential casino licenses

There are two bidders apiece remaining for the Waukegan and south suburban casino licenses. They are:

Waukegan Full House Resorts
• Waukegan-based Lakeside Casino LLC
• South Suburbia Matteson (south suburbs)
• South cities of Wind Creek LLC Homewood East Hazel Crest

In October, the IGB reduced the number of candidates. The southern suburban applicants presented the board with their corresponding cases on October 28.

All four candidates may present their last proposals to the IGB between now and the conclusion of the year. They will have the chance to respond more in-depth to any inquiries the committee members may have had about them during the lectures.

According to IGB Administrator Marcus Fruchter, the committee intends to decide whether to grant each license by the beginning of January. At that time, the table may also present a primary suitability and rdquo getting, which is just one move away from final approval.

In fact, both procedures are gaining momentum. 2019 saw a significant increase in games, and some of the rollout’s components have been at best unwieldy.

But as 2021 comes to a close, it seems that Illinois is making real headway on the casino and sports betting front.