Calling it a “once in a generation opportunity,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot opened the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States on Monday by promoting her city as it continues accepting proposals for a casino in the downtown area.
The downtown area of the third-largest city in the country was one of six sites permitted to host a casino when Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law in June 2019 a massive gaming expansion bill that also legalized sports wagering in Illinois. The city issued its RFP in late April, though the biggest news in the process to date was MGM Resorts saying shortly thereafter that it would likely not be among the applicants.
“For interested owners and operators, our city truly provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a casino and entertainment district in a major American city,” Lightfoot said, ticking off the city’s metropolitan population and key economic drivers as points of attraction. “I’m looking forward to reviewing the proposals that come in.”
Lightfoot was able to make downtown Chicago a viable site for a potential casino following an extensive rewrite of the casino tax structure that was approved by state government in May 2020. The goal is for the downtown casino to be open by 2025.