In selecting a town to host the state’s newest casino, officials are using too narrow a goal.

On Nov. 14, members of the Illinois Gaming Board named three finalists — Des Plaines, Rosemont and Waukegan — for the state’s 10th casino license. This was bad news to four south suburbs — Stickney, Calumet City, Country Club Hills and Harvey — that also submitted bids.
Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney made a proposal for a $500 million complex. Mayor Donald J. Tabor said the decision was a true setback for the village.

“I am totally disappointed with the gaming board. I cannot see why building another casino (in the north suburbs) would be best for the state,” Tabor said, noting that the South Side loses millions of dollars annually to casinos in Indiana.

“With the Hawthorne proposal, the casino would have been up and running in six months or less (given that the racetrack already exists). All the other proposals will have to start from scratch,” Tabor said. “We’re landlocked as far as space is concerned. This deal would have benefited senior citizens, children and schools here in Stickney. And we also agreed to share the revenues with 25 other communities on the South Side.”

Gene O’Shea, public information officer with the gambling board, said the only votes cast for a South Side proposal came from board members Joe Moore and the Rev. Eugene Winkler, who each voted for Calumet City’s plan. But the other three board members — Charles Gardner, Aaron Jaffe and James Sullivan — focused on the bids made by the northern towns.

In its Nov. 14 article, Crain’s Chicago Business reported that most board members wanted to award the license to a town that would pull in the most revenue for Illinois. South suburban towns would have to compete with the Indiana casinos, according to Crain’s.

Although that sounds reasonable at first glance, it’s short-sighted. The south suburban towns that sent in bids are really struggling financially. They most likely have to rely more on the state for assistance than do their northern counterparts.

Allowing these towns to capture the millions of dollars that flow east to Indiana casinos would offset some of the money that the state gives them. By sharing the revenue, these municipalities could better address some of their financial problems and be less of a burden to the state.

But board members couldn’t see beyond the dollar signs in their eyes. It seems that short-term wishing has trumped long-term planning once again.

Jerry Moore is a news editor with Suburban Life Publications and can be contacted at jmoore@mysuburbanlife.com. His blog, Suburban Shoutout, can be found at mysuburbanlife.com.