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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly has approved legal
3video gaming to help generate economic activity for local
4established businesses, to create jobs, to reduce illegal
5gaming activity, and to provide much-needed revenue to local
6communities and the State budget; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Video gaming has produced strong growth since its
8inception in September of 2012 in local economic activity, in
9jobs created and supported, and in tax revenue for local and
10State governments; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The General Assembly has worked closely with the
12Illinois Gaming Board, the State's regulatory body for gaming
13issues, to ensure careful scrutiny and oversight of approval
14and operations of the nearly 5,000 video gaming businesses and
15more than 20,000 video gaming machines in Illinois; and
 
16    WHEREAS, A proposed new form of video gaming business is
17generating concern around Illinois, both with policymakers in
18Springfield and within the video gaming industry; and
 
19    WHEREAS, News reports have detailed developers' interest
20in creating "casino malls" in Chicago suburbs where strip malls
21could be converted to have multiple storefronts with

 

 

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1neighboring video gaming establishments packaged together; and
 
2    WHEREAS, While proponents argue these "casino malls" could
3generate more economic activity and revenue, there are
4legitimate concerns about these malls shifting video gaming
5away from its intended purpose of main street community
6entertainment for bars, restaurants, and other local
7businesses; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly did not envision
9allowing these types of malls in legalizing video gaming
10originally and is not interested in seeing this type of
11activity authorized in Illinois; therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
13NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
14urge the Illinois Gaming Board to issue a report to the General
15Assembly stating the reasons that the Board refuses to grant
16video gaming licenses to "casino malls"; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18delivered to the Chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board.