The transportation-related portions of the capital improvement program is also supported by increases in the motor fuel tax and licensing fees.Įach casino is required to contribute one-time fees within 30 days of opening to the Rebuild Illinois fund. Proceeds from the gambling expansion were earmarked, in part, to provide funding for Rebuild Illinois, the state’s multi-year capital improvement program to repair and build new roads, bridges and government buildings across the state. The 2019 law amending the Illinois Gambling Act authorized six new casinos, including the one in Carterville, four “racinos” – combination horse racetracks and casinos – online and retail sports betting and expanded video gambling. “When I proposed that we pass a casino gaming bill a few years ago, this is what I had envisioned.” “Hospitality, jobs, economic development – that is what today's announcement represents,” Pritzker said. It is expected to employ about 300 people. It features 650 slot machines and table games, a hotel, restaurants, a full-service spa and 1,200-seat event center. The Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort is the fourth casino to open in recent years that was authorized by a 2019 gambling expansion law that was a centerpiece of Pritzker’s first term. JB Pritzker joined hundreds of people from across southern Illinois on Friday to celebrate the opening of the state’s 14th casino on a rural estate just outside of Carterville.
