In recent weeks, the mayor of Chicago, LoriLightfoot, presented to Illinois lawmakers different proposals to treat casinos; among the options are the creation of a public structure that divides the city and state, and the second proposal is to make an operation that is private and more conventional.
However, the mayor of the city said that the proposals made by LoriLightfoot must have a state legislature in Illinois, where lower taxes are approved than they currently are which those belonging to the extended legislation on games are made to the beginning of the year by Governor JB Pritzker
For her part, Mayor Lightfoot indicated that two completely different models were being evaluated, where the structure is changed to tax so that private operators can also succeed. He said they have been socializing the options with the governor and his team and with the general assembly.
For the experts, the panorama of a casino in Chicago has been shaken, especially at the beginning of this year, because a mandatory feasibility study showed that the proposals that were approved could not be viable on large scales because of the expensive taxes that they are established in the legislation.
Also, last Saturday, a group of Chicago lawmakers met with the mayor to learn about the information and details about the proposals they pose for the casino in the city, said Greg Harris, the Democratic leader of the House.
Harris said that the mayor believes that the sale will be difficult to achieve a tax exemption, that is because the tax structure that is in force for the Chicago casino is also used for the other casinos that exist in the state of Illinois, as well as in the new casinos that are authorized according to the last invoice issued.
The Democratic leader of the House said that “it will be a great impulse to achieve it this fall.”
Other points discussed in the proposals and which has been a topic of debate, is the division of income for horse tracks and some casinos. Similarly, Lightfoot has proposed that a joint entity between city and state be applied so that the numbers of casino licenses continue to be maintained, and that way, any challenge can be avoided and confronted with what Greg Harris considered a great leap.
However, Harris said that during the meeting last weekend, several lawmakers said they were concerned about the ethics related to the casino business, both in the city and in the state.
On the other hand, through a press release from Pritzker administration spokeswoman Emily Bittner, it is established that the administration is still waiting to hear all the details about the different proposals that are being made. Bittner said that “we understand that several legislators have now been informed about these proposals, and we hope to review them after receiving information on the details of the proposals.”
Similarly, Bittner said that the Pritzker administration remains open to the various approaches that allow casinos in the city of Chicago to be successful and highlighted about the public property, it is necessary to guarantee all the challenges that would encompass, due to They should be treated completely.
This Wednesday, members of the government will hold a meeting with the mayor. It is a meeting to be held in the offices of the mayor.
One of the issues clarified by the mayor was the reports and releases that indicated that no information had been provided to the governor, which he strongly rejected. The mayor said that there had been several personal conversations with the governor of the entity, so he said that sometimes journalists are wrong.
Lightfoot added that it had been suggested that the fiscal structure is not the most suitable, which is why they have developed continuous conversations after a feasibility study will be issued on what could happen.
Some media indicated that according to the governor of the entity, they have met at breakfast but that the various plans for casinos were not discussed in detail. Likewise, Lightfoot considered that the team that is carrying out the case has been very transparent when looking for several parts to provide advice and suggestions.
Bob Rita, the state representative of D-Blue Island, said it is not ruled out that there is a casino agreement in the city, so he said that “what we must do is gather the stakeholders and see how we can resolve some of the problems we face in the spring.”
