Most, if not all, of Illinois’ 10 existing casinos are expected to eventually lay sports wagers, as are the up to six new casinos allowed under that sweeping gambling expansion. The state’s three racetracks are also eligible to open sportsbooks, as well as large stadiums such as Wrigley Field and the United Center.
“So I’m equally confident that while we’re opening a sportsbook today, when we’re all worried about a virus, and the financial markets are all melted - we will come through this, and this country will be equally successful or more successful than before, and our casino will continue to thrive.” “The world was really crashing then, and look where we’ve all come since then, both the country as well as this terrific casino,” Bluhm said. The billionaire real estate mogul pointed to his casino’s licensing in turbulent economic times in 2008, when the Illinois Gaming Board awarded Bluhm’s company the Des Plaines casino after it was controversially denied from nearby Rosemont due to investors’ ties to organized crime.
