Last month, the mayor of Chicago unveiled the three finalists for its long-awaited casino project. Given the stakes, the selection process was always going to be very comprehensive. Each of the three finalists and the city would participate in a community engagement meeting for the proposed casino. During these meetings, the public would get the chance to ask questions and provide feedback on the proposed development.
Unfortunately, things have not been going very smoothly for the finalists. Bally’s Tribune, at Chicago and Halsted on the Chicago River, Rivers 78, near Roosevelt and Clark, and Hard Rock Chicago, right across DuSable Lake Shore Drive from Soldier Field, are the three finalists and the alderman in those respective wards were opposed to all three.
Many of them were concerned about the consequences and costs of gambling addiction. There were also concerns about the expenses of diverting business away from neighboring communities as well as potential traffic problems in all three areas.
While the three casino contenders continue to face considerable public opposition, they have also aroused the wrath of the city’s powerful labor unions. The unions, as expected, are not going easy on them.
As it stands, none of the three casino candidates have committed to a labor union contract for casino or hotel employees. Robert Reiter Jr., president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, stated that choosing a casino without a pledge to provide living wages would be a “slap in the face.”
Reiter did mention that one of the finalists has shown some interest in negotiating the terms with the unions. He however did not mention which operator that was. Still, it can be easy to see how the finalists may use that to work their way through the current opposition.
Chicago is engaged in talks with the three casino candidates to secure a better bargain. Most notably, it intends to negotiate for a much larger upfront casino cash contribution to fund its 2023 budget.
“It is going to take us time to get back and surpass the 60 million tourists we experienced in Chicago in 2019 and coming out of COVID we need every single tool avail to spur economic growth, vibrancy, and job creation.”
Deputy Mayor Samir Mayekar
This deal is quite vital at this time since it will be key to ensuring that the city does not have to raise taxes. If that happens, property taxes will likely be the biggest casualty.
Samantha has a passion for all things casino, especially for the development in new slots games and technology. She has a background in psychology and loves to study strategies behind gambling in her spare time.
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