Ignoring Gov. Pat Quinn's opposition, the Illinois House on Wednesday passed a major gambling expansion that would put casinos in Chicago and four other cities, add more positions for riverboat casinos and allow slot machines at horse tracks.
The pro-gambling forces are close to amassing enough support to make Quinn irrelevant. The House voted 69-47 in favor of gambling expansion. That's just two votes shy of the 71 needed to override a governor's veto.
The measure heads to the Senate, where sponsoring Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan, plans to call a vote next week as the Legislature nears a May 31 adjournment date.
Through a spokeswoman, Quinn said he would not sign the bill. Saying the bill "still needs significant improvement," Quinn noted it fails to ban campaign contributions from the gambling industry and argued it lacks adequate oversight of a Chicago casino.
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-illinois-legislature-0524-20120524,0,7440025.story
The pro-gambling forces are close to amassing enough support to make Quinn irrelevant. The House voted 69-47 in favor of gambling expansion. That's just two votes shy of the 71 needed to override a governor's veto.
The measure heads to the Senate, where sponsoring Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan, plans to call a vote next week as the Legislature nears a May 31 adjournment date.
Through a spokeswoman, Quinn said he would not sign the bill. Saying the bill "still needs significant improvement," Quinn noted it fails to ban campaign contributions from the gambling industry and argued it lacks adequate oversight of a Chicago casino.
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-illinois-legislature-0524-20120524,0,7440025.story
