April 13, 2007

Gambling Action Alert

Come to Springfield for the Rally/Lobby Day on April 20

Yesterday grassroots groups from Chicago, Waukegan, Des Plaines, South Suburbs, Arlington Heights, were in Chicago to testify at the House Gaming Committee hearing to oppose the massive gambling expansion bill (HB 480). Sponsor Rep. Lou Lang told all gambling interests to come to Springfield and work out an agreement by next Friday or he would push the legislation through without an agreement. (See article below)

ILCAAAP will hold a Rally/Lobby Day on Friday, April 20 at the Capitol Rotunda from 11:00 to 1:00. Rev. Tom Grey, spokesman for the National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion, will be the featured speaker. Now is the time to come to Springfield to speak out with one voice--NO MORE GAMBLING.

For Immediate Action

  1. Come to the Rally/Lobby Day in Springfield and bring a van or car load with you.
  2. Share this alert with your church. We could send a powerful message to Legislators and the Governor if every church sent 1-3 people to the Rally/Lobby Day.
  3. Forward to 8 others.

Proposal to expand gambling in Illinois falls apart

By Kevin McDermott and Erik Potter

POST-DISPATCH SPRINGFIELD BUREAU

04/13/2007

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- What looked like growing consensus within Illinois' gaming community to allow slot machines at horse racing tracks apparently fell apart Thursday, endangering prospects for a major expansion of gambling in Illinois.

During a legislative committee hearing in Chicago, lobbyists for horse owners, race tracks and riverboat casinos failed to reach agreement on a much-anticipated bill to let casinos increase their capacity while letting racetracks set up slots, according to participants in the meeting.

"Certain factions of the gaming industry can't agree on what's in their own best interests," said a frustrated state Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, sponsor of the legislation and chairman of the House Gaming Committee, which heard testimony from the industry at Thursday's meeting.

Lang accused various gaming factions of fighting to "get every nickel and dime they can get from a bill that's going to make them all millions." He threatened to press ahead with the legislation without agreement from the industry if they don't settle their differences by the end of next week.

The legislation, as currently written, would allow four new riverboat licenses in the Chicago area, including a downtown Chicago license. It also would allow existing casinos to increase the number of each boat's gambling positions -- gambling spots available at any one time -- to 2,000 from 1,200, and allow horse racetracks to install slot machines and other electronic gaming.

In all, the bill would nearly triple the number of gamblers that riverboats and racetracks across the state could accommodate at one time -- and triple the tax revenue the state takes in from gaming.

Anti-gambling critics have blasted the legislation as a major expansion of gambling. But the latest snag is from within the gambling industry itself.

Lang and others said the racetracks can't agree among themselves on allocation of the slots, horse owners are worried they won't see the increased purses that have been promised to them and casinos fear that allowing slots at the tracks will saturate the state's gaming market.

"We're not sure the market can handle that," said Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association. "We believe discussions are necessary with the racetracks to find alternatives to slots at tracks" to bolster income for the tracks and horse owners.

But the tracks, including Fairmount Park in Collinsville, have said slot machines might be their only shot at survival in a gambling market that hasn't been focused on horses in a long time. Given the various interests at play, Fairmount spokesman Jon Sloane said it's "not too surprising" that Thursday's meeting didn't produce an agreement. "There's so many moving parts in the bill that not everyone is (going to be) happy ... I didn't expect them all to come out of that meeting with locked arms singing 'Kumbaya,'" Sloane said.

The Legislature returns to Springfield next week, following its two-week spring break. Lang said Thursday he believes he can win passage of the bill "whether we have an agreement or not" from the gambling industry. The bill is HB480.

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