Illinois received more than $1.3 billion in gaming tax revenue from the gaming in 2017, a slight increase over 2016, according to a report from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. Illinois state Senator Dave Syverson said expanded gambling could bring in even more for the state.
Syverson is the sponsor of Senate Bill 7, which would allow up to six new casinos in the state. The measure already has passed the Senate and awaits a House vote. “We just need the speaker to allow a vote in the House. The last two years he hasn’t allowed his members to vote on it. But if he would allow a vote, this thing would pass and we could be up and running.”
Under the bill, casinos would be developed in Chicago, south suburban Cook County, northern Lake County, Danville, Rockford and Williamson County. Syverson noted most of the locations are near state lines, such as Indiana.
“If you go to an Indiana casino, right over the border, you’ll see 95 percent of the license plates are all Illinois plates. Last year, a little over $1.5 billion left Illinois and went to our five surrounding states for gaming. Other states are building casinos right on the border of Illinois and they’re marketing and attracting Illinois people that go there and spend their money,” Syverson said.
Syverson’s 35th District borders Wisconsin border, where a proposed Ho-Chunk casino development in Beloit is moving toward approval. “We’re talking about a couple hundred yards over the border, building the largest casino in the Midwest. Their casino would have a water park, they would have a convention center, they would have a hotel, they would have a concert venue. It is a concern. It would devastate tourism in northern Illinois.”
Commenting on observers who said Illinois gaming has reached a saturation point, Syverson noted, “Those people who aren’t big proponents of gaming have to be asked, ‘Do you want it over the border where they’ll get the revenue and the money and we’ll be left with the problems associated with it but no benefits? Or, do we fight to try to get our own as a way to block that?’”
Syverson added, “Every time Chicago gets into financial trouble, they make all of us bail them out. Having their own casino would be about half-a-billion dollars in revenue to the city. That’s money that they don’t have to take from us. And it will help them to attract more conventions and keep more money in Chicago. There’s really benefits that go statewide from getting this thing done.”
