State Rep. Rita Continues Gambling Expansion Efforts

Deborah Bayliss | As of Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Sponsors say gambling expansion would provide an estimated $400 million to $1 billion a year in revenue in Illinois.
Sponsors say gambling expansion would provide an estimated $400 million to $1 billion a year in revenue in Illinois.

Proponents of gambling expansion in Illinois are continuing their efforts to make it happen as Illinois State Rep. Bob Rita (D-IL), the lead House Democrat negotiator for the legislation, announced the second of several planned public hearings on the matter with the next one scheduled for 6 p.m. on Feb. 17 at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Drive.

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Proponents of gambling expansion in Illinois are continuing their efforts to make it happen as Illinois State Rep. Bob Rita (D-IL), the lead House Democrat negotiator for the legislation, announced the second of several planned public hearings on the matter with the next one scheduled for 6 p.m., Feb. 17 at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Drive.

“I’m a firm believer that gambling expansion can provide great benefits to the state of Illinois and the communities where it comes,” Rita said. “But it is important that we put a bill together that is transparent and that deals fairly with taxpayers and all of the interests involved. My hope is these hearings put us on the path to getting that done this spring.”

After negotiations failed to produce an agreement at the end of the legislative session last May, Rita said he would schedule hearings to work through a number of issues preventing an agreement from moving forward.

The fall veto session produced no further progress, so Rita hopes to use hearings this spring to produce legislation that can move ahead in Springfield.

At the Feb. 17 hearing, Rita and local legislators are expected to talk through issues with a number of interests from that area. The first hearing was Jan. 28 in East St. Louis.

The bill, sponsored by Rita of Blue Island, calls for adding casinos in Rockford, Danville, Chicago's south suburbs and Lake County in addition to Chicago. It also would allow current and future casino licensees to apply for an online gambling license and add slot machines at the state's horse-racing tracks and O'Hare and Midway international airports. The bulk of revenue from brick-and-mortar gambling would go toward school funding, the Associated Press reports.

A lot has changed in recent months, including passage of pension reform legislation, which Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn had said must be accomplished before he'd consider signing a gambling expansion proposal. Quinn has vetoed two previous gaming bills passed by the Legislature.

Brooke Anderson, a spokeswoman for Quinn in an Associated Press report, said Quinn only will support expanded gambling if it includes ethical oversight and "will never compromise when it comes to keeping corruption out of the gaming industry."

Additionally, lawmakers have been looking for new sources of funding as they debate whether to extend the state's income tax increase, which is scheduled to roll back from 5 percent to 3.75 percent next January.

Sponsors say gambling expansion would provide an estimated $400 million to $1 billion a year in revenue, according to the Associated Press.

Rita, who has been conducting a series of public hearings around the state, says the legislation could be changed to "address regional concerns," including some that surfaced last month during a forum in East St. Louis but added that his bill’s framework and its main components are expected to remain the same as the bill that failed to get traction last spring.

"I think the time's right," Rita said. "It's not only revenue for the state, it's revenue for all of these (depressed) regions."

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