When Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker approved a gambling expansion package last month, one of the items of the legislation was a casino for Chicago. Now, the mayor of the Windy City, Lori Lightfoot, wants local residents to tell her where to put the venue and what type of activities they believe the property should offer.
Lightfoot has been running the city since April and probably hopes that allowing local input will foster a better relationship between the casino resort and the locals. She sent out a survey of 11 questions to residents last week that gives them the opportunity to weigh in on where the casino should be built and what amenities should be offered, as well as provides them with the ability to offer their concerns about the development.
Lightfoot explained about the survey, “To learn more about what Chicagoans want to see in a new casino, today we are launching a survey that will give our residents a voice in informing how this development can drive the maximum benefit for all communities. While the prospect of a new casino holds tremendous potential for generating new revenues and stimulating economic opportunity for Chicago, we are committed to a transparent process for ensuring all voices can be heard as the City moves forward on this historic project.”
When Pritzker approved the legislation, he indicated that he believed it made more sense for a Chicago venue to be built in an area that has suffered from a lack of economic attention and not in the downtown area. Lightfoot agrees, as her survey provides five choices for the location and all five are located in neighborhoods that need economic stimulation.
The input from the survey won’t be the only deciding factor on where the casino is located and what it will offer. Union Gaming has been chosen to lead a feasibility study on the subject and the results of that study will also be considered. The firm is expected to deliver its conclusions within three months.
Some believe that using casinos to boost economic growth isn’t a great idea. Global Market Advisors wrote a report (in pdf) in 2015 that indicates that “urban casinos developed in the latter part of the 20th century failed to integrate themselves into their host communities, did not stimulate economic and commercial activity in their host neighborhoods, and essentially became islands within the greater urban landscape.”
However, given a limited number of options for economic growth, gambling is one of the few that can typically begin to offer returns almost immediately.
