Talks of adding a Chicago casino are back on. Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he’s talked with Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner about adding a city-run casino.
It would need approval from state lawmakers. State Representative Ken Dunkin, a Chicago Democrat, says the negotiations are still early in the process.
“We’re gonna make it in such a way that Rauner does the right thing for Chicago as well as the rest of the state. It’s too early now. It’s not soup yet.”
Emanuel has said money the city makes from a casino would go toward paying pension debt. Previous attempts to approve a Chicago-based casino were blocked by then-Governor Pat Quinn.
The previous plans also included slot machines at Chicago’s airports and additional casinos downstate.