Though he has slammed the door for two years running on legislative attempts to expand gambling in Illinois, Gov. Blagojevich indicated Thursday he might reconsider the question in order to gain badly needed new revenue for the state.
In an interview with the Tribune editorial board, the governor said new revenue sources, such as more gambling, might be needed to balance the state budget because his administration has made significant cuts in spending and there might come a point when “you’re cutting so much that maybe it’s counterproductive.”
The governor also said his office has tried unsuccessfully to get Illinois Gaming Board Chairman Elzie Higginbottom to stop moving forward on the board’s efforts to put a new casino in Rosemont while Blagojevich mulled making new appointments to the board that could undo the Rosemont decision.
“I think that message has been conveyed,” Blagojevich said. “I think they realize change is in the air, it’s imminent, relatively speaking.” But the governor conceded that the current board is still moving forward with a plan to allow Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. to purchase the license from bankrupt Emerald Casino and that the only thing he can do to stop it is to name new board members.
He said he is close to filling a vacancy on the board and naming replacements for Higginbottom and board member Violet Clark, who are still on the board even though their terms ended June 30.
On gambling expansion, Blagojevich said he would consider a proposal only if certain conditions are met, including a willingness by lawmakers to agree to budget cuts he considers necessary. Blagojevich said any expansion proposal must be designed to help out an economically depressed area and not “fundamentally alter the landscape of the state,” a stipulation that may thwart Mayor Daley’s plan for a casino in Chicago.
“Under those conditions and circumstances, I’ll have more than an open mind to something,” Blagojevich said.
He also signaled that expansion of gaming might be plausible if the state’s fiscal situation is so dire that it’s the only way to put more money into some of his most cherished programs.
