• About Us / Contact
  • Responsible Gambling
This site contains commercial content
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
No Result
View All Result

Lightfoot Touts Chicago As ‘World Class’ City For Casino And Resort

Mayor promotes her administration as willing partner for downtown casino

Chris Altruda by Chris Altruda
July 12, 2021
in Industry
NCLGS Lightfoot Chicago

Photo via Shutterstock

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Calling it a “once in a generation opportunity,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot opened the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States on Monday by promoting her city as it continues accepting proposals for a casino in the downtown area.

The downtown area of the third-largest city in the country was one of six sites permitted to host a casino when Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law in June 2019 a massive gaming expansion billΒ that also legalized sports wagering in Illinois. The city issued its RFP in late April, though the biggest news in the process to date was MGM Resorts saying shortly thereafter that it would likely not be among the applicants.

“For interested owners and operators, our city truly provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a casino and entertainment district in a major American city,” Lightfoot said, ticking off the city’s metropolitan population and key economic drivers as points of attraction. “I’m looking forward to reviewing the proposals that come in.”

Lightfoot was able to make downtown Chicago a viable site for a potential casino following an extensive rewrite of the casino tax structure that was approved by state government in May 2020. The goal is for the downtown casino to be open by 2025.

Lightfoot: Process is ‘wide open’

The mayor also looked to knock down speculation that Rush Street Gaming is the odds-on favorite to be awarded the downtown license. The Illinois-based company has a substantial stake in Rivers Casino in Des Plaines — the closest Illinois-based casino to Chicago — and is among the finalists to build a casino in Waukegan, less than an hour’s drive from the city to the north and near the Wisconsin border.

“There’s a little conversation about this, I’m told. This RFP is wide open,” she added in perhaps the closest thing to impromptu remarks. “There are no hometown favorites. We want to make sure we get the best-in-class opportunities for anyone across the country who understands the value of being in a city like Chicago.”

Rivers Casino is the primary gaming revenue generator among the 10 casinos in Illinois and accounted for more than half of the $21.4 million in tax receipts in the state for the month of June, according to figures released by the Illinois Gaming Board. It has generated nearly $200 million in adjusted gross revenue this year and more than $50 million in state and local taxes.

Lightfoot noted that while the casino is important to the city, it needs to be part of an “integrated casino resort.” She emphasized the “resort” aspect, telling panelists, “What we envision is a world-class entertainment district, anchored by a casino but also providing other amenities so that our tourists and residents can take advantage of a first-class gaming experience.”

City will be a willing partner

Lightfoot promoted her office as friendly to the industry, saying, “We understand the importance of business. We understand the importance of creating opportunities for all our residents across our neighborhoods. So an operator who comes to invest in Chicago is going to have a partner in our government that is going to provide support to uplift the surrounding community and environment.

“So not only will you have a great business opportunity, you’re going to find a ready, willing, and able workforce that is going to be supported by this administration.”

The mayor concluded her remarks by noting that gaming can help cities and that Chicago is watching other municipalities — citing Las Vegas as an example — to help it identify best practices that will make the city attractive to potential bidders.

“On the heels of a once in a generation pandemic and the worst economic crisis in 75 years, gaming, among other industries, has the potential to truly revitalize and transform communities and cities,” Lightfoot said. “We’ve been watching here in Chicago quite closely. We’re watching what happens in cities like Las Vegas and other gaming centers around the world, and seeing how these other centers have adapted to a post-pandemic economy and realities.

“And we are well-poised to take advantage of the best practices that we have seen across the country and, truly, across the world.”

ShareTweetShare
Chris Altruda

Chris Altruda

Chris Altruda has been a sportswriter with ESPN, The Associated Press, and STATS over more than two decades. He recently expanded into covering sports betting and gambling around the Midwest. His Twitter handle is @AlTruda73 and can be reached via email at [email protected]

Related Posts

BetMGM Monday Night Football Betting: CHI @ NE
Promotions

$50 Free + $1K Risk-Free for Bears vs Patriots with BetMGM bonus code SHNEWS50

October 24, 2022
FanDuel Monday Night Football Betting
Promotions

$1K Offer for MNF Bears-Patriots with FanDuel Promo Code

October 24, 2022
Load More

Top Stories

taylor mathis

Taylor Mathis Got Sacrificed At The Altar Of Responsible Gambling

March 20, 2023
fanduel baseball wall

Premade Same Game Parlays Are Sucker Bets

March 13, 2023
maginfier-over-small-print

Read The Fine Print: A Proposed Federal Rule Could Change Everything For Indian Gaming

March 6, 2023
roman reigns wwe

Colorado Denies Report Stating That It’s Considering WWE Wagering

March 8, 2023

State Sports Betting Guides

Ohio (U.S. state) flag waving against clear blue sky, close up, isolated with clipping path mask alpha channel transparency, perfect for film, news, composition

Ohio Sports Betting – Where To Play, Bonus Offers And Promo Codes

by Brian Pempus
March 27, 2023

Downtown Detroit at twilight (Shutterstock)

Michigan Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
March 27, 2023

VA captial

Virginia Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonus Offers

by Brett Smiley
January 17, 2023

nj flag

New Jersey Sports Betting — Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
March 22, 2023

pa online sportsbooks

Pennsylvania Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonuses

by Brett Smiley
October 6, 2022

Canada Sports Betting Guides

Canada Sports Betting – Best Sportsbook Apps & Bonus Offers

British Columbia Sports Betting – Legal Update, Available Sportsbooks, and FAQ

Ontario Sports Betting – Legal Status And Where To Play

SportsHandle

  • Analysis
  • Casino
  • Features
  • Horse Racing
  • Industry
  • Legal
  • Legislation
  • Opinion
  • Podcasts
  • Poker
  • Politics
  • Promotions
  • Regulation
  • Sports
  • Uncategorized

Better Collective

This website is owned and operated by Better Collective USA. Trademarks and copyrights referenced on this website are and shall remain the exclusive property of their respective owners and/or licensors. Please be sure to visit the operator’s website(s) to review their terms & conditions. We advise you to read these carefully as they contain important information. Copyright Β© 2023 USBets.com | Better Collective USA
21 Play Responsibly
Gamble Aware West Virginia
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
GameSense

Search Sports Handle

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us / Contact
  • Responsible Gambling

No Result
View All Result
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News

loading

Please wait while you are redirected to the right page...