Mayor Lori Lightfoot is floating a new plan to make the Chicago casino a property owned jointly by the city and the state. But the idea is getting a cool reception in Springfield. 

Alds. Gilbert Villegas (36th Ward), Nicholas Sposato (38th Ward) and Jason Ervin (28th Ward) discuss casino locations and other pressing City Council news.

State legislators laid out a rapid pace in the new gambling expansion law that will give Illinois six new casinos, including one in Chicago – so fast that it appears the state is already struggling to keep up.

A recent investigation revealed that Illinois Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady has a “business interest” in Midwest Electronics Gaming, a prominent video gaming company. On Tuesday, Brady commented on the business.

As Illinois prepares to expand gambling to every corner of the state – including slot machines at O’Hare and Midway airports – supporters tout the generation of much-needed revenue to help plug a massive budget deficit. But at what cost?

Recently passed legislation to expand gambling in Illinois is so massive, not many people know everything that’s in it. That includes at least two of the state’s legislative leaders who helped negotiate the bill.

Chicago is getting a massive casino that could rival Las Vegas operations in size and scope. But where will it go? Gov. J.B. Pritzker isn’t offering a site, but an opinion: not downtown.

Illinois could become a very different state, thanks to a bunch of measures legislators approved over the weekend. Here’s a rundown of budget bills and the new public works program.

By Saturday night, Republican representatives joined with Democrats who control the General Asssembly to agree to a massive package of bills comprising a $40 billion budget.

A $39 billion budget. A public works program. Casinos. Legalized recreational marijuana. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois lawmakers have a single day – until 11:59 p.m. Friday – to wrap up all of that, and more.

Will a sports betting plan cross the finish line in Illinois? Gov. J.B. Pritzker supports it, and plans are being negotiated in Springfield to expand gambling in the state.

A U.S. Supreme Court decision last year opened the door to state-authorized sports betting, and Illinois is hurrying to take advantage of it. 

Chicago’ and Illinois’ budgets could both use extra padding – money for schools, and to pay pension debts. One option? More gambling. But just what are the chances? 

Chicago’s long-held desire for a city-owned casino will continue to go unrequited if an Illinois House panel’s Memorial Day vote against a massive gambling expansion package stands.

Sports gambling gets a big boost from the U.S. Supreme Court. What that could that mean for Illinois. 

Federal law permits betting on sports in just a few states that had laws on the books before a federal ban in the early 1990s. But a case before the U.S. Supreme Court could change that.