A proposal to add four casinos in Illinois and expand existing casinos was brought up by a state representative on Tuesday.
Rep. Lou Lang, chairman of the House gaming committee, introduced a bill he claims would bring in an extra $2.3 billion to $3.5 billion in state revenue. The bill proposes four new casinos in the Chicago area - one near the O'Hare International Airport, one in Chicago's south suburbs one in Chicago, either on land or on Lake Michigan and one in Waukegan, north of Chicago.
The bill will allow established casinos to host a maximum of 2,000 people, instead of the current limit of 1,200 people. Also, Lang wants to add almost 4,000 slot machines and video poker to Illinois racetracks. Lang said states that have added slots at their racetracks are seeing other benefits.
The Illinois Casino and Gaming Association has yet to take a position on the 236-page bill. For now, Lang said he has reached an understanding with Gov. Rod Blagojevich not to veto the bill while it is still in the legislature.
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