Chicago Casino Closer To Reality After Election Results

Illinois, Governor Pat Quinn has been no friend to the gaming industry or for casino expansion over the past few years. The governor has thwarted all efforts to make Illinois a major player in the Midwest gaming industry. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was not in favor of the Quinn vetoes. Emanuel has worked very hard to get a casino in his city because it would generate revenue and create jobs which would improve the economy and the city's budget. Still, Quinn would not budge.

A New House

However, there are new hopes now since the Democrats have increased their majority in the House and Senate. Now the Legislature could overrule a veto by Quinn on any new gaming bills. That is something that Quinn hopes will not occur and he is hopeful that lawmakers will not go over his head when it comes to the veto process. This is no longer a decision for Quinn. Quinn remains confident in his working relationship with legislators but may not be able to win this battle since lawmakers are growing increasingly impatient when dealing with gaming expansion. Emanuel would be committed to utilizing all resources for school modernization and building new schools so kids will have the best facilities to learn in.

Quinn's Demands

Quinn has suggested that he may work with legislators on gambling expansion as long as there was not a shift to casinos becoming a primary source of revenue for the state. Based on that, lawmakers did produce a bill but Quinn vetoed it because it did not meet all the requirements.

The debate will return to the table for Democratic leaders to discuss sometime in early 2013.