Illinois Considers Relocating Three Underperforming Casinos to New Locations

A bill in Illinois could allow a few of the state’s less successful casinos to relocate. Supporters of the measure argue that this could boost the properties and, by extension, their economic contributions.

The Bill Seeks to Bolster the Economy

House Bill 4070 is being spearheaded by Rep. Joe Sosnowski who seeks to reinforce the local gaming economy and set it up for continued success. Sosnowski, who is aware of how far casino gaming has come since its legalization in 1990, believes that the saturation of the market necessitates some changes that would benefit smaller participants.

The Prairie State, for context, currently has 17 casinos. Sosnowski, however, pointed out that some of them are performing better than others due to a variety of factors. HB 4070 therefore proposes allowing the three least-performing casinos to change their locations.

According to Sosnowski, the relocation of the three most underperforming properties would give them a better shot at mirroring the success of the state’s other casinos. He furthermore argued that this would benefit Illinois since better-performing casinos would be able to support more jobs and foster stronger economic activity.

If we have 100 jobs in an underperforming casino location and we can shift those to an overperforming location, you know, we could triple the number of jobs and people that are employed.

Joe Sosnowski

Sosnowski elaborated that the bill would not force the casinos to move but would provide them with the opportunity to do so.

The Communities Losing a Casino Would Benefit Too

Under HB 4070, potential host communities that wish to accommodate one of three casinos would have to submit a proposal to the Illinois Gaming Board. A casino could provide significant benefits to certain cities, creating many new jobs and serving as an important economic stimulus.

In addition to that, the tax revenue generated by the relocated venues could help their new host communities fund important projects.

In the meantime, the communities that lose a casino would receive a share of receipts equal to twice what they are paid at the moment. Sosnowski explained that this would make it so that prior locations receive their funds while new locations also reap the benefits of hosting a casino.

If passed, the bill would allow the Illinois Gaming Board to review the performance of the state’s casinos in order to identify the three most underperforming properties.

IGB Banned the Use of Credit Cards for Betting

In a separate motion, the Illinois Gaming Board previously approved regulations that would ban the use of credit cards to fund sports betting accounts in Illinois. The goal of this measure is to prevent vulnerable players from spending more than they can afford.

The regulator also approved specific record-keeping requirements for video gaming sales agents and brokers. This aligned them with the retention standards in place for other licensees.