Illinois approved six new casino licenses earlier this year and local leaders hope this will bring in more money for their communities. Today, what’s being planned in Rockford, Danville, and southern Illinois. Plus, the Illinois State Museum is part of a project to give Australian indigenous objects back to the first nations communities they came from. And, Anne and Ed Burke have had a lot of power in Illinois for a long time. We’ll talk about how the state Supreme Court justice and the Chicago alderman navigate possible conflicts of interest.
New Casinos Coming to Illinois
The GNOG will launch through the Danville Development, LLC, giving market access to Gold Nugget in Illinois. The partnership will also build a brand-new casino operation in Danville, Illinois. The agreement allows GNOG to supply legal sports betting online to all Illinois residents.
The new casino to be developed in Danville, Illinois will be branded Golden Nugget and feature an iconic Landry's seafood restaurant (l.). Also, Golden Nugget Online Gaming Inc. And Danville Development LLC will offer market access to online sports betting in Illinois, and online casino gambling if it's legalized later, through the Danville casino. The legislation permits, among other provisions, the opening of casinos in Chicago, Waukegan, Rockford, Danville and Williamson County. It also permits slot machines at both O'Hare and Midway.
Earlier this year, Illinois passed a major gambling expansion. The state legalized sports betting and approved six new licenses for casinos. That’s on top of the video gambling machines that we’ve had in our state for nearly a decade.
Supporters of expanded gambling say that it’ll bring in lots of money for state and local governments. And this past summer, Governor J.B. Pritzker said that the proposals he signed into law would help fund state spending.
Today, we talk about three of the six casinos that are being planned in Illinois. Starting with Danville, about a half hour east of Champaign and close to the Indiana border.
Rickey Williams Junior is the Mayor of Danville, Illinois. Jennifer Fuller is a reporter for WSIU Public Radio. Chase Cavanaugh is a reporter with WNIJ.
'We're very excited about all of the economic opportunity,' @CityDanvilleIL Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr. says.
Mayor Williams says the revenue will help pay down Danville pension debt and go towards community investment including infrastructure and capital projects.
— The 21st (@21stShow) October 14, 2019Mayor Williams says the revenue will help pay down Danville pension debt and go towards community investment including infrastructure and capital projects.
IL Museum Returns Objects To First Nations
In the 1920s and 30s, a University of Chicago anthropologist came back from his field work in Australia with objects from aboriginal communities. Those objects were added to the Illinois State Museum in Springfield’s collection.
Now, nearly 90 years later, they’ll return to Australia as a part of the Australian Government’s Return of Cultural Heritage Project. The Illinois State Museum is the first in the world to participate in the initiative to give Australian indigenous objects back to the first nations communities they came from.
Brooke Morgan is the curator of Anthropology at the Illinois State Museum Research & Collections Center in Springfield. Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko is the museum’s director. Helen Robbins is the Repatriation Director at the Field Museum in Chicago.
The @ILStateMuseum is part of a project to give Australian indigenous objects back to the first nations communities they came from.
More NOW w/@CLegutko, @FieldMuseumhttps://t.co/48Z5MxFY3V
— The 21st (@21stShow) October 14, 2019More NOW w/@CLegutko, @FieldMuseumhttps://t.co/48Z5MxFY3V
The Ethical Conundrum of Anne and Ed Burke
For decades, Anne and Ed Burke have been one of the most politically powerful couples in Illinois.
Later this month, Anne Burke will become the Illinois Supreme Court’s Chief Justice. Meanwhile, Ed is the longest-serving alderman in Chicago history.
In February, Alderman Ed Burke was re-elected despite a federal charge of attempted extortion. And this summer, he was named in a 14-count federal racketeering and bribery indictment.
Despite the Alderman’s legal trouble, Justice Burke’s time on the Supreme Court has been generally free of controversy. Now, a new investigation from WBEZ finds that Justice Burke heard several cases on the Supreme Court even though they involved clients of her husband’s law firm.
State Politics Reporter Dave McKinney reported this story for WBEZ.
Justice Anne Burke and Alderman Ed Burke have had a lot of power in Illinois for a long time.
We’re talking with @davemckinney about how the state Supreme Court justice and the Chicago alderman navigate possible conflicts of interest. https://t.co/gvMdnKBcTb
— The 21st (@21stShow) October 14, 2019We’re talking with @davemckinney about how the state Supreme Court justice and the Chicago alderman navigate possible conflicts of interest. https://t.co/gvMdnKBcTb
Story source:
The mayor of Danville lives near a Big Lots store, where a bus from East Peoria’s Par-A-Dice Casino regularly stops to pick up customers. Mayor Rickey Williams Junior said he hopes a casino planned for his eastern Illinois city will lead to other buses bringing out-of-towners to Danville instead.
Williams promoted the planned casino during an appearance Monday on Illinois Public Media's statewide talk show, “The 21st”. The Danville City Council recently voted to approve Haven Gaming LLC to work with a local developer to open a casino along Lynch Road on the east end of the city. On Tuesday, October 14, the city council will hold a public hearing and vote on a resolution to approve the casino project, as well as a related zoning change.
Casino Coming To Danville Illinois Map
Danville, a city near the Indiana border with a population of 33,000, is one of six locations selected to host a casino under gambling expansion legislation signed into law earlier this year. The other locations are Chicago, the south suburbs, Waukegan, Rockford and Williamson County in southern Illinois.
(Williams' appearance on 'The 21st' was followed by interviews with reporters Jennifer Fuller and Chase Cavenaugh on the Williamson County and Rockford casino projects).
Williams said Danville’s casino will be a destination resort, with hotels, a conference center and an entertainment venue, in addition to gambling.
“We’re excited about the opportunity for work for our citizens but also for the revenue that it will bring, and the benefits that it will provide to the community at large,” Williams told interviewer Lee Gaines.
While gambling of all types is on the rise in Illinois, Williams said he’s not worried about a saturated market hurting the casino’s profitability. He’s not even worried about a new Indiana casino proposed for Terre Haute near the state line. Voters there will decide whether to allow that project in a November referendum.
“We don’t have any competitors for a 90-mile radius in Danville right now,” said Williams. “And even when Terre Haute is built, that’s still about an hour and 15 minutes away from us, if they pass that.”
Williams said he’s planning on the casino producing 6 to 8 million dollars a year in revenue for Danville’s city government, which currently has an operating budget of around $54 million. The mayor wants to spend the casino revenue on infrastructure and paying down pension debt for the police and fire departments. Haven Gaming is estimating the casino will generate about twice as much money for the city as Williams’ projection, once the facility is expanded to its full size.
Williams said there are already video gaming parlors scattered throughout Danville. So he doesn’t think a casino will increase the danger of gambling addiction beyond its present scale.
But the mayor said the casino will be required by Illinois’ gambling laws to provide information on help for gambling addiction.
“We are working with, not only mental health providers but also the faith-based community in our city to be ready to deal with issues of addiction, should they arise,” said Williams.
Casino Coming To Danville Illinois Restaurants
The Illinois Department of Human Services runs a gambling addiction hotline, 1-800-GAMBLER, as well as a website offering help with problem gambling, www.WeKnowTheFeeling.org .
The Danville casino is still just a proposal. Haven Gaming has until October 28 to apply for a gaming license from the Illinois Gaming Board, and the waiting time for approval could be several months, although Williams hopes it will be shorter.