The cash behind gambling politics
Common Cause, a national good government group, released a report today detailing that over the last ten years, gambling interests have given state lawmakers more than $10 million in campaign cash collectively.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the top rank-and-file gambling fundraiser is Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat and one of gambling's biggest boosters in Illinois for years.
He received, according to the study, more than $270,000 from gaming interests. Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat who also sponsored the recent gambling legislation, got far less, but still a notable $46,000.
Are people who get lots of money from the gambling industry big supporters of gambling expansion? That's certainly a question to be asked, and when we've asked Link about it in the past, he's told us that his record on supporting a Lake County casino stretches back to the mid-1990s and none of the donations are secret.
But just suggesting gambling interests were pushing for expansion via campaign contributions misses a bunch of the story. Sure, places like Arlington Park gave to candidates and were also pushing for expansion.
But, remember. The biggest opponent of expansion is the existing casino industry in Illinois. They think increased competition from a Chicago casino and slots at Arlington Park could be devastating to their revenues.
Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi, a Joliet Democrat, received more than $57,000 from gambling interests over the 10-year period, according to the study. He voted against expansion. The two casinos in Joliet are staunchly against the idea.
Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia of Aurora got about $39,000 from gambling interests in the last 10 years, including from Penn National Gaming, owners of the Hollywood Casino in Aurora. They, of course, oppose gambling expansion.
That's what makes gambling interests in Springfield particularly interesting. Lots of industries make big campaign donations, but they also often have common goals.
Gambling-industry interests are spending money on candidates in Illinois, but they're split over what they want.
You can find Common Cause's the full study here.
Illinois will get revenue from expanded gambling or Illinois money will continue to go to neighboring states. Which do you think is the better scenario? And if you think restricting gambling will prevent people from gambling, I have another question. Did Prohibition stop people from drinking?
"Gambling interests have a choke hold on Illinois state government."
-- Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, 19956
Why not title the blog thus?
Do ********* interest lobbying monies matter. (Insert lobbying group of your choice.)
The casinos already open in Illinois have taken a hit, first with the smoking ban that has sent customers east to Indiana or north to Wisconsin, and then with a shrinking economy that saw discretionary spending fall.
The one good thing that comes from casino expansion is jobs, and Illinois needs all the jobs it can get.
The existing casinos do not like the competition, of course, but competition is good. Some people who have never tried gambling will become customers if they have good experiences. That means the casinos will need to loosen up the slots, improve customer service, bring down the drink prices and offer incentives to new customers. Will all of these new casinos survive? I hardly think so, but those that do will be better and attract more customers.
Regardless of how many casinos are built in Illinois, there will still be 30 flights a day out of O'Hare to Las Vegas. Those that wish to invest in these new casinos should bear that in mind. A typical trip to Las Vegas for a whole week costs about $800 per person, plus entertainment, including gambling. There are numerous opulent casinos to choose from that all serve free drinks to gamblers, loads of shows, every sort of restaurant and nightclub, incredible pools and real palm trees, which remind midwesterners that they're on vacation. Illinois will never be able to compete with that, so the Illinois gambling industry really ought to think twice before they expand so much so that casinos are closing for lack of customers. Like any other product or service, gambling in and of itself has a limited allure.