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I haven't really been following this casino business, but I'm curious if someone could steer me to the data that shows convention goers spending a bunch of time and money burning through money at slot machines and craps tables.
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While a downtown Chicago Casino is high on everyone's lists. And I like the idea of a Lakeside Casino as an adaptive reuse for a great piece of architecture. We all assume it is the convention goers that will populate the downtown site.
Keep in mind that convention goers are on expense accounts. It is easy to expense fine dining and drinks as entertainment. Casino receipts will be under much more scrutiny and no company is going to reimburse casino loses. It might be prudent to look at where Indiana Casinos get their clientele. After all it is the competition. All Indiana casinos run shuttle buses to Illinois. Ceasars Hammond Horseshoe runs 20 daily shuttle buses to Chinatown alone Another 3 trips are from the northside starting at Belmont/Clark running south with several stops finally picking up at Hyatt McCormick. So that is only 3 shuttles on a 8 stop route that include McMK. 4 shuttles are dedicated to Argyle/Broadway. 5 shuttles dedicated to Diversey 5 shuttles depart McCormick/Devon in west RP 6 shuttles depart Harlem/Foster 5 shuttles from Bridgeview-Harlem 4 shuttles from Harlme/25th in North Riverside. Hammond Horshoe runs about 52 shuttles daily to Chicagoland, 20 of those to Chinatown. they run ZERO shuttles to any Indiana location. Ameristar East Chicago Runs HOURLY from 2734 Archer & Wentworth Chinatown 8 am- 12 am (16 total). And then 6 daily trips from 13th and Wabash total 22 trips from Chicago. They have no other scheduled shuttles. Majestic Star in Gary runs 17 daily shuttles from Chinatown(2734 S. Wentworth) last pickup at 3:30am. They do not run any other shuttle. That is 91 daily shuttles from Chicagoland to Indiana casinos. That is future Chicago Casino base customer. That is who Chicago needs to target, because the are here and they are gambling already. Just capturing 70% of the outflow would be a win and then add the convention goers spending. |
So if about half of the shuttle buses are coming for Chinatown, wouldn't the south loop, McCormick Place or Michael Reese area be the perfect location for a casino blocks from Chinatown? Plus scooping up the conventioneers?
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Harrah's New Orleans replaced the architecturally significant Rivergate convention center with a piece of horrid zonked-out Postmodernism. Most of the walls are blank, so it creates giant voids at the foot of Canal St AND Poydras St where there should be street life. The parking garages replaced even older, more historic buildings and even though they tried to create an urban streetscape around the garages it's more of a sick joke. It would be like if they tore down the Thompson Center, put in a huge blank-walled box with a bunch of drive-thrus and porte cocheres, and then demolished the adjacent block for good measure. I will agree that Harrah's does capture pedestrian traffic between CBD/Warehouse District hotels and the French Quarter, and the promise of free, clean restrooms lures many people in to gamble. Unfortunately there's not much hope for a casino with good urban bones. The Chicago casino will need an experienced operator, and all of those are dead-set on a suburban or at least Vegas-like model. Look at Wynn's Encore in Boston. |
Hmm, I thought the New Orleans casino is pretty attractive brick and traditional architecture personally. I'm not sure what was there before it. It looks pretty traditional and hasome from the front corner where you enter. The concrete chain hotels around it are alot uglier if you want to nitpick that area. The chain hotels around there don't provide much street life either.
Anyway I didn't say it has to recreate that casino, I said I liked that it was downtown and a walkable location. |
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My parents did very well for themselves (both college educated/one a Doctor) but I nonetheless grew up on the southside of Chicago... and loved it I might add. But I personally witnessed many who wanted to go for job interviews that did not have "car fare" as they called it, to ride the bus or train to get to those job interviews. It happens more than you could ever imagine. As for LL and her job performance, give it time my friend... give it time. The machine that is Chicago will not be broken in a day, a week, or months... it will take years. As for her other agenda items, lets not jump to conclusions on those either. Give it time and LETS SEE HOW HER VISION UNFOLDS. If it works, lets vote for her again. If not, we vote her out. Pretty simple really. But she is so new to the position right now that we have barely even taken the wrapping off of her. Its unfair to pass blanket judgments upon her at this point within the process - its much too early. . |
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For those that can scrape together $2.75, a downtown location offers the easiest accessibility for everyone, rich OR poor. |
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Chicago’s first casino still might end up downtown, says Lightfoot 2 comments The five neighborhood sites shortlisted by the mayor do not represent the city’s definitive list https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/7/19...ds-bronzeville --- Personally, I think a good location might be the Mercy Hospital parking lots. |
Maybe they could put the Block 37 mall out of its misery and convert it to a casino.
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When pressed about specific issues, the mayor said that her office heard concerns that a downtown location could ultimately detract from tourism. Some tour operators and convention organizers fear that attendees would go to the casino instead of participating in the convention itself, Lightfoot added." lol, what? |
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The revenue could easily support the maintenance needs of the building for the very first time in its life. Not that I would actually want the casino there, mind you. I would put it far from downtown and use transit/shuttles to get people there. Also, when considering the competition, keep in mind that Indiana allows smoking and Illinois does not. A casino near the Indiana border would keep the Illinoisians that don't like the smoke in the state and would also draw Hoosiers that hate smoke. I would embrace the breathable air aspect of the casino and make it prominent. |
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2: Who gives a fuck about optics? If anything the alternative (keeping the Thompson Center open and losing out on tax revenue while supporting an albatross of a decrepit building) looks way worse - "nearly bankrupt state keeps outdated vanity project in prime development site." Saving Thompson Center is at this point a pipe dream, even the "balanced" state budgets have included the presumed sale of the site for the last several years. It should have never been built in the first place and is a testament to Springfield's lavish arrogance and irresponsibility with the state's finances. |
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I doubt we'll be shaking our heads at it being removed like we do some other lost treasures, such as the old Chicago Federal Building |
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