Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming, owners of River Casino in Des Plaines, Illinois, has been fined .65 million by the state of Illinois for providing a no-bid contract for cleaning and security and for giving jackpot winners inconsistent payouts. As recently revealed by the Illinois watchdog group, the Better Government Association, and the Chicago Sun-Times, the casino agreed in January to pay the fine when the Illinois Gambling Board completed its investigation.
The gambling board found Rivers Casino hired United Maintenance in 2011 and did not sign a formal agreement with the firm until several years later. In addition, casino operators were cited for allowing people to enter a contest, the $250,000 Sign Up and Win New Member Giveaway, after the deadline had passed, and awarding prizes to more than 40 individuals which was “inconsistent with the terms of an approved promotion.”
The situation could cause problems for Rush Street Gaming in Massachusetts. The state gaming commission will deliberate later this month about awarding the Region C license to Rush Street Gaming’s subsidiary, Mass Gaming & Entertainment, for a $677 million casino resort in Brockton, although organizers of a tribal casino project said they’re ready to break ground for a casino in nearby Taunton.
Massachusetts Gaming Commission spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said its investigators will present “any new information deemed appropriate” about Rush Street Gaming prior to voting on the license award.
Joe Baerlein, a spokesman for Mass Gaming & Entertainment, said, “Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, the top-performing casino in Illinois, self-reported this matter and respects the decision of the Illinois Gaming Board. This settlement has no bearing on the Brockton Casino Resort, for which we have already been found suitable.”
Fred McDermott, an attorney for the anti-casino group Stand Up For Brockton, said the settlement news is “just one more factor about the amount of trust you should place in Neil Bluhm,” real estate magnate and Rush Street Gaming president. “It really makes you question whether he’s the right guy to give a casino license to anywhere in Massachusetts,” McDermott said.
