Senate Committee Approves Four New Casinos For Illinois

The casino explosion in the US could be making its way to Illinois in the near future. A state Senate committee on Friday approved a measure that would bring four new casinos to the state, one of which would be in Chicago.

"These other states with casinos on the Illinois border are going after Illinois residents," said Senator Dave Syverson of Rockford, "With this Bill, we'll now be going after their money instead."

Competition has been one of the main reasons that casino gambling expansion is taking place throughout the country. Many states can no longer afford to lose entertainment dollars from their residents. They used to be able to absorb the loss, but now states must try to keep every dollar within their borders.

The other main reason that lawmakers are moving towards expansion is to grow their own tourism industry. There are other businesses that begin to prosper when a casino is added to an area.

"If the casino gets approved, there's a series of other investments that will follow," said Syverson, "With this addition, you'll suddenly have another half billion dollars in construction and over a thousand new jobs for the region."

The plan that would bring new casinos to Chicago, Rockford, Waukegan, and Danville, is not without opposition. Video poker machines are now legal in the state after a law passed last week, and some lawmakers believe this is too much gambling expansion too fast.

May 31, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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