Springfield , IL – With session drawing to a close and adjournment only a few days away, Gov. Blagojevich and the Illinois General Assembly are looking for a quick fix to pay for an immense increase in state spending. State Sen. Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac) says the Governor’s plans to massively expand gambling in Illinois is bad policy, and bad for the state.
“It seems like each year an expansion of gambling is the quick fix to pay for expanding state expenditures,” said Rutherford. “I fear that in a rush to adjourn by May 31, the Governor and other Democrat leaders will enact a plan that will be detrimental to the entire state. If this plan is approved, residents living in the Chicago Metropolitan area will never have to travel more than 30 miles to get to the nearest casino.”
Senate Bill 11, which passed the Senate Executive Committee on May 25, authorizes new riverboat licenses in Waukegan, the South Suburbs, and O’Hare Airport, as well as a land-based casino in the City of Chicago . Combined with the current number of casinos, Illinois would have a total of thirteen casinos, if the bill becomes law. The bill would also increase the number of gaming positions at current casinos. The move would help to pay for Gov. Blagojevich’s massive increase in government spending.
“I absolutely and unequivocally cannot support a plan that would create four new casinos in Illinois,” Rutherford said. “If we continue with this trend, Illinois could become the Las Vegas of the Midwest.”
Rutherford also expressed concern with special privileges for investors of the now defunct 10th riverboat license. The bill states that minority and female investors from the Emerald Casino in Rosemont would be allowed to re-invest in any of the new proposed casinos, at no cost to them.
“Anytime you single out a small group and provide them with special privileges it creates a bad precedent,” the Senator explained. “Not only will we be rewarding them for making a bad business investment on the 10th riverboat license, the state will be picking up the tab which could total up to nearly $33 million.”
Additionally, the bill allows Chicago State University to collect two percent of all revenue from a resale of the 10th license, all new licenses, and the Chicago casino. The expected revenue is $40 million, which would double the funding for the university.
“This move is a slap to the face to the rest of the publicly funded universities in Illinois,” Rutherford said. “If the sales of the new casino licenses are going to help fund higher education, spread it out evenly throughout the state; don’t single out one Chicago school.
“Rushing through a bill that could change the face of Illinois forever is not responsible and bad public policy.”