Casino-no? or Kassino-yes?

From the Trib's John Kass:

Why build just one measly mega-casino on the lake?

That's what Mayor Richard Daley wants. And though this will surprise him, I'm thinking he should get more than one.

Chicago might be better off with five casinos.

That's one casino for each of the big downtown hotels.

I'm not a proponent of gaming, but if we're going to dance, then let's dance.

There are five downtown hotels that have about a thousand rooms each.

They are the Hyatt Regency Chicago, the Hilton Chicago & Towers, the Palmer House Hilton, the Marriott Chicago Downtown and the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers.

A few of their parent companies are already in the gambling business.

They're huge, modern, grand hotels. They have the staffs. They have the space in gigantic ballrooms to accommodate casinos. New casino space with garish Atlantic City style lettering isn't required. The ballrooms are big enough, and they've already been wired and are waiting.

Conventioneers and tourists could reach them. This might even reduce those huge crowds in the Wrigleyville neighborhood during Cubs games.

Like I wrote earlier, I have no interest in attending such places, but if building them creates a good revenue stream for the City of Chicago, I'm all for it.

....

"It makes sense," said one executive who intimately understands the hotel business here, and off whose brain I bounced this idea.

"The casinos could be up and running tomorrow," he said. "You've got so many things in place, the restaurants, the sleeping rooms, entertainment venue. And each would be comparable to the riverboats. They wouldn't be smaller than the riverboats. They'd be easy to get to."

This is my favorite quote:
....

It's time for the governor and the state legislature to stop the phony pieties about gambling--since the state government already benefits from state casino license revenue--and give Chicago the same consideration it would give a small town or suburb. It's time to be fair to the mayor of Chicago and city taxpayers.

Whoo hoo! Where's Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn when ya need em?

more Bike paths! free money!! free (Old Style)Beer!!!