Gov. Jim Edgar, making his most forceful statement yet against a plan to build a $2 billion gambling center in Chicago, said Monday that if asked today he would veto a bill to legalize land-based casinos.
”There are very few things I say `never` to,” Edgar said in a meeting with the Tribune editorial board. ”But if there were a bill on my desk today, with what I know and the reservations I have, I`d veto it.”
Edgar also went a step further, saying of the casino plan endorsed by Mayor Richard Daley: ”I probably have more reservations about it now then I did when the idea first came out.”
Even before Edgar made his veto intentions clear, the plan by three corporations to build the gambling-and-entertainment center faced at best an uncertain fate in Springfield, if it comes up at all at this session of the General Assembly.
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Daley`s support could not guarantee that the controversial idea would win over most of the city`s predominantly Democratic legislators. And Downstate and suburban lawmakers, many of them Republicans, would expect major concessions from Chicago to support the plan.
But in the same way that Edgar`s pledge not to raise general state taxes has so far squelched serious talk of that idea in Springfield for more than a year, his promise to veto a casino bill could effectively drop that issue from lawmakers` agenda.
Legislators face a busy session in which they are expected to deal with another round of deep Edgar budget cuts and Daley`s plan to build a third regional airport on the Southeast Side.
”It makes the case to sell casino gambling difficult at best and goes a long way toward killing it in this session,” House Minority Leader Lee Daniels (R-Elmhurst) said of Edgar`s veto statement.
Even if a majority of lawmakers approved a casino bill, Daniels said, ”I don`t think there would be enough votes to override a veto.”
Until Monday, Edgar had only repeated that he had ”reservations” about the casino plan announced last month by Caesars World Inc., Hilton Hotels Corp. and Circus Circus Enterprises. But Edgar had refused to say he would veto a casino bill.
The refusal had left some wondering if Edgar was really opposed to casinos and simply trying to avoid shooting down an idea that Daley had embraced or if Edgar might be persuaded to support a casino bill provided that the political tradeoff was right.
Edgar maintained Monday that his statements on the casinos were nothing new. But word of his veto remark was greeted with disappointment at City Hall and among the backers of the development.
Still, Daley advisers and the casino interests expressed hope that Edgar might change his mind.
”We remain hopeful that the governor will be persuaded that it is a good idea, notwithstanding any feelings he may have about it now,” said Avis LaVelle, Daley`s press secretary.
Jack Leone, spokesman for the partnership proposing to build the casinos entirely with its money, said: ”The governor has said he would be open-minded to our proposal. Our intent is to persuade him that our project would be beneficial to the city and the state.”
Another sign that the casino promoters aren`t giving up is their plan to meet Wednesday with Daley`s gaming commission, a group the mayor appointed last week to study the casino plan.
And a top official of Chicago-based Hyatt Hotels and Resorts Corp. said the chain is considering investing $500 million to become the fourth partner. ”We`re studying it,” said Don DePorter, regional vice president and managing director of Hyatt. ”We can afford to go into the deal. We know it`s going to make money.”
Hyatt`s review is expected to take about a month and will examine such
”social issues” as whether the complex would hurt the city`s poor, he said.
Before Edgar made his veto statement, he and Daley had joked Monday about the casino plan at the ground-breaking ceremony for the $175 million Bulls and Blackhawks stadium on the West Side.
Daley repeated the economic-improvement mantra that he has invoked in backing large-scale developments. Then, in a reference to the casinos, he told Edgar, ”I`d like to say I have a few other projects I`d like to get started as soon as possible.”
Edgar joined in a few moments later, saying, ”Mr. Mayor, I`m in favor of moving ahead on those projects-McCormick Place and the third airport.”
The crowd laughed because the governor had carefully left the casino plan off his list.
Since his 1990 campaign for governor, Edgar has expressed reservations about expanding gambling. He said during and after the campaign that the state was saturated with the Illinois Lottery, racetrack and off-track betting on horses and the still-infant industry of riverboat casinos.
Edgar said he wanted to see how well the riverboats went over before he endorsed expanding gambling.
On Monday, both operators of gambling boats planned for the Des Plaines River in Joliet said the proposal for land-based casinos in Chicago would not sink their plans, but they added they will insist on an even break in any legislative maneuvering.
”The overall Chicago market has room for a mega-center and also for boats in Joliet,” said Philip G. Satre, president of Harrah`s, which plans to have a boat operating next year from a dock in downtown Joliet.
Representatives of Harrah`s and Empress River Casino Corp., which is to have a boat operating early this summer, fear that land-based casino operators might be given a better deal by the General Assembly than the one offered to riverboat gambling.
The Chicago partnership has asked the state to halve its take of casino profits to 10 percent and has said that legislation should include riverboats. ”We`ve made basically all of our financial commitments under the present legislation,” said Bill Sabo, president of Empress. ”I think allowing
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(casinos) that don`t have to deal with the same rules . . . would be unfair.”
In his meeting with Tribune editors, Edgar used mostly economic justifications for why he opposes land-based casinos. He said a gambling mega- center in Chicago would draw jobs from Downstate and would decimate the state`s horse racing industry.
”Casino gambling would probably end horse racing in Illinois,” said Edgar, who has been known to enjoy betting on horse races.
He said the industry, which provides 40,000 to 60,000 jobs, ranging from horse farms to racetracks, would be especially hard hit because bettors would be drawn to the Chicago casinos.
Edgar said Illinois was different from New Jersey, where horse racing and casinos co-exist. He said most New Jersey racetracks are some distance from Atlantic City, but most big Illinois tracks are in the Chicago area.
Edgar also predicted that the riverboat casinos, approved by the legislature as an economic-development tool for depressed cities, would fall victim to Chicago casinos.
”All of the riverboats except the one in Alton that feeds off St. Louis would probably go bankrupt,” he said.
In addition, Edgar said he was concerned about the effect casinos in Chicago would have on the city`s image. He said less than a month of casino talk had revived jokes about Chicago returning to the days of Al Capone.