For years the lawmakers have been trying to make the building of casinos in Chicago easier. Once Bruce Rauner comes into power as governor of the state of Illinois in January 2015, the chances are that this idea could become a reality.
Even though the state senator Dave Syverson considers the new year the best one for introducing new legislations, this process still might take more time, at least until February. Pretty soon, Wisconsin could have a new casino along I-90, as Beloit and Ho-Chunk are already working together.
According to Syverson, all important economic factors should be considered. On one hand, the project would create a lot of job opportunities and it would boost the revenue. On the other hand, it would keep the prospective investors in the state of Illinois.
The local authorities keep an eye on the gambling matters in the near states, so that they can avoid their mistakes. A casino in Rockford will certainly bring to the city a lot of money, even though the currently operating casinos want to avoid potential competition. Yet, what matters most now is for the lawmakers’ plans concerning Springfield to be revealed.
Neil Bluhm, one of Chicago’s billionaires, and also an owner of the company that operates the successful Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, received an approval last week to open a casino resort close to Albany, New York. The project will cost him approximately $300 million. Even though his casino project in Orange County failed, that does not seem to bother him.
The reason for the failure was the concern of the New York officials, was that Bluhm’s project and any others in this area would halt the further development of the gambling sector. Bluhm shared his opinion in an interview that there is no place for new projects in Illinois because of the saturation of the gambling market there.
Even though Bluhm claims that the demand was not unlimited, he is after all protecting his own interests. He is the owner of one of the most successful and profitable casinos in Illinois and is becoming richer every day, because when it comes to table games in Chicago and the area, his venue is the undisputed leader. However, there is still truth in his words.
There is a decline in revenue and the authorities have been trying to change that. Their attempts, however, are destroying the business of the early operators. The statistics show that four out of twelve casinos in Atlantic City have already closed and that is only this year. The casinos in Chicago and the area are also destroying the horse tracks little by little.
