If the Illinois Gaming Board awards the state’s last casino license to the company that wants to build in Des Plaines, there will be less money for the city than citizens may have anticipated.
Less than 72 hours before the board was expected to announce a winner, the City Council held a special meeting late Friday and voted 7-1 to increase to $94 million the amount of future gaming tax revenue it would give to Midwest Gaming & Entertainment. The amount would be paid over 10 years or more.
The council already had pledged $56 million in future gaming tax revenue to be paid over 8 years or more.
The money was promised in a series of phone calls to aldermen Wednesday during bidding between three finalists seeking the license currently held by the bankrupt Emerald Casino. The $94 million plan was solidified in Des Plaines on Friday.
“This is a situation that has spun out of control,” said Jim Blue, a gambling opponent who lives in Des Plaines. “It seems that the promise has already been made to [Midwest] without a public meeting or open public discussion.”
Ald. Don Smith (7th) cast the lone vote against the resolution.
Ald. Dick Sayad (4th), who voted for the resolution, said that relinquishing some of the money coming to Des Plaines was necessary.
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“Are we going to give up monies that we thought we weren’t going to give up? Yes, we are,” Sayad said.
City Manager Dave Niemeyer pointed out that even though Des Plaines would receive less money under the new agreement, the city would still get cash it wouldn’t have had without the casino.
“If we don’t have any deal, we have nothing,” Niemeyer said.
The resolution would not affect the amount of money Des Plaines plans to share with poorer suburbs, aldermen said.