Illinois Danville Puts Hold on Decision for Casino Partner

Illinois officials have recently decided that the state needs more betting options. After selecting several possible casino locations, the state came across additional issues. The city of Chicago should solve some logistic problems while Danville has concerns about moving forward.

Danville city officials have recently announced that they are ready for the casino project. The public has been anticipating the name of the license winner for a while. However, officials failed to disclose the winner this past week which put the project on hold. Some rumors say that Danville will select the licensee during the following October.

What is Said

According to the statement of Danville Mayor, Rickey Williams, the city needs an additional period to allow candidates to submit more details about their services. He observed:

“We are still awaiting a few final financial documents as well as negotiating community benefits with both applicants. We’re doing all we can to get the very best deal for the city.”

Expectations

The city has scheduled a discussion about proposals for October 1st. After the long-anticipated meeting, the city could make decisions about its future casino partner. However, it is unlikely to happen on the same day due to the number of submitted documents and potential candidates.

Illinois has recently authorized gambling expansion throughout the state. Danville Mayor has been pushing gambling extension and selection process, hoping to provide additional revenues for the city. At the same time, Williams has been looking for the right casino partner. He stated:

“We are in the process right now of doing due diligence in regards to the financial and regulatory capacity of the two finalists. Again, both of them are strong – just in different ways.”

Upon the selection of proposals, a chosen applicant should submit the request to Illinois state. According to the expectations, the future licensee should complete submission by October 28th. If it doesn't happen, the selected company could lose the casino opportunity in Danville.

Source:

“Danville, Illinois decides to hold off on casino decision”, Erik Gibbs, calvinayre.com, September 24, 2019.