Gov. Pat Quinn shot down a gambling expansion bill Tuedsay, but supporters hope to revisit the issue after the general election. Quinn had been publicly critical of the bill. “The actions of the governor are disappointing, but they’re certainly not surprising,” said Skokie Democratic Rep. Lou Lang, the gambling bill's sponsor.
Senate Bill 1849 would have created licenses for five new casinos statewide, added slot machines at horse racing tracks and allowed each casino to the number of gaming positions from 1,200 to 1,600. “The most glaring deficiency of Senate Bill 1849 is the absence of strict ethical standards and comprehensive regulatory oversight. Illinois should never settle for a gaming bill that includes loopholes for mobsters,” Quinn wrote in his veto message.
“Where is his evidence that there is any Mafia in Illinois gaming today? There isn’t any,” Lang said. “I have to draw the conclusion that he was never interested in gaming.”
When asked why he did not make his own amendatory changes to the bill, Quinn said: “It just has too many defects. It’s one thing if you had to make some technical changes here and there, but this bill just falls way short of what the people of Illinois need when it comes to ethics in government.”
Lang said that he thought it is possible to rally enough support for an override in the Legislature's November veto session, despite a comment from House Speaker Michael Madigan to the contrary. “Speaker Madigan was only making a prediction,” Lang said.
You can read Jamey's full report at: http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/quinn-vetoes-gambling-expansion-citing.html
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