Casino license application extension for Chicago
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Firms interested in operating Chicago's envisioned Las Vegas-style casino resort have been given a further nine weeks to submit their license applications. The original August 23 deadline has been extended to October 29.
MGM Resorts International won't be bidding for the right to bring a casino to Chicago.
Rush Street Gaming is one of the few companies to have submitted an official bid for the development of Chicago's first casino. The company is owned by Neil Bluhm's daughter. Candidate Lightfoot took donations worth more than $100,000 from the daughter of Neil.
The Chicago Tribune reports that a study last summer found the merits of building a multi-billion-dollar casino resort in the prosperous center of the Cook County city. Mayor Lightfoot ran for office on a promise to help residents of less well-off districts.
Chicago attracted almost 58 million tourists in 2018. Many potential operators are sceptical about the city's casino plan. The facility would open facing stiff competition from similar venues in the nearby communities of Des Plains, Elgin and Aurora.
