{"id":547671,"date":"2010-04-29T22:55:48","date_gmt":"2010-04-30T02:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c60fd53ef0133ed125d04970b"},"modified":"2010-04-29T22:55:48","modified_gmt":"2010-04-30T02:55:48","slug":"latest-slot-machines-at-horse-tracks-pitch-faces-uphill-climb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/547671","title":{"rendered":"Latest slot machines at horse tracks pitch faces uphill climb"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Posted by Michelle Manchir<\/em> at 8:43 p.m.<\/p>\n

SPRINGFIELD
\n– A plan to install slot machines at horse-racing tracks across the
\nstate was unveiled today as part of a way to help pay for the state’s
\nfar-reaching public works program, but the legislation is already
\ncoming under heavy fire.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Track
\nowners have long coveted the idea of pumping up their bottom lines with
\nslot machines, but it’s a tough sell unless all of the far-reaching
\ngambling interests are on board any gambling bill. And it’s clear that
\nnot all are on board, including the casino boats.\n<\/p>\n

"We’re fighting it," said Tom Swoik, executive director of the
\nIllinois Casino Gaming Association. He maintained the boats have seen
\ntheir profits nosedive over the last couple of years due to factors
\nthat range from the state’s anti-smoking laws to the rocky national
\neconomy.<\/p>\n

Swoik maintained the bill effectively would create land-based
\ncasinos, creating competition that would further erode riverboat
\ngambling profits.<\/p>\n

The call for slots at tracks comes after many communities opted out
\nof allowing video poker within their borders, raising concerns that a
\nkey portion of the funding for the program to fix roads and bridges
\nwould fall short.<\/p>\n

A variety of other delays have slowed revenue expectations,
\nincluding the time needed to put in place complicated regulations for
\nthe video poker games.<\/p>\n

"We’re working hard to line up support," said Rep. Will Burns, D-Chicago<\/a>, who secured support from major labor unions and Republican Rep. Mark Beaubien of Barrington<\/a> Hills, a point man on budget issues.<\/p>\n

Under the proposal, Cook County tracks could have up to 1,200 slots
\nand other electronic games. Supporters estimated the plan could create
\nup to 1,500 permanent jobs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posted by Michelle Manchir at 8:43 p.m. SPRINGFIELD – A plan to install slot machines at horse-racing tracks across the state was unveiled today as part of a way to help pay for the state’s far-reaching public works program, but the legislation is already coming under heavy fire. Track owners have long coveted the idea […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3992,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-547671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3992"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=547671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547671\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}