Quote:
Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright
The Maywood thing probably has someting to do with the Hawthorne Race Track lobbying for a kickback since this will "undermine our existing gambling business" or something...
|
Nope, nothing to do with this. It's just a cash grab, plain and simple.
Quote:
https://thevillagefreepress.org/2019...hicago-casino/
Maywood’s cut would likely translate into millions of dollars a year in automatic revenue, said Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (4th) — a Maywood resident and the lawmaker most responsible for setting the village up for the potential financial windfall.
Lightford said that Maywood and Summit were selected based on the extent of their needs. The lawmaker cited a variety of criteria, such as poverty levels and even food desert status, to make the case for why those communities deserved a share of gambling revenue.
The arrangement isn’t new. When Rivers Casino in Des Plaines opened in 2011, the host city agreed to share some of the revenue it receives from the casino with 10 in-need South Suburban communities: Dixmoor, Ford Heights, Hodgkins, Phoenix, Robbins, Harvey, Markham, Riverdale, Summit and Chicago Heights.
From 2011 to 2017, those communities received nearly $32 million in casino income from Des Plaines, the Journal and Topics reported. Lightford referenced data that shows the running total could be nearly $48 million.
“I was really bothered by [the Rivers City revenue-sharing arrangement], because Des Plaines feeds into the West Suburbs — not the South Suburbs,” Lightford said, adding that she was determined to make sure that the West Suburbs aren’t overlooked this time around.
|
I like how Lightford (not to be confused with Light
foot) doesn't even bother to hide her anger that other, needier communities in the South Suburbs were getting money before her community.
Welcome to Chicago, folks...