gambling

With the Kentucky Derby coming up next weekend, Americans will be digging in their pockets to wager somewhere around $100 million on the event. As for gambling in general, Americans will lose around $100 billion dollars this year. Has gambling become a really big problem? In some parts of the nation, the answer is yes. How about Illinois?

DEKALB, Ill. (AP) — A gambling center with 24-hour bingo halls, restaurants and lounges may be on its way to the village of Shabbona. The U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs is hosting a hearing Jan. 26 for the public to discuss the idea proposed by the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Indian tribe...

John Gregory -- Illinois Radio Network It sounds like Gov. Bruce Rauner might be warming up to the idea of expanded gambling in Illinois, which could mean a casino in Rockford. Rauner says he doesn’t like to gamble, but he also recognizes the state is losing money to casinos in neighboring states...

Dave Dahl -- Illinois Radio Network Video gambling has been legal for two years in Illinois, and there’s a difference of opinion of whether it’s the reason for a low tide for casinos in the fiscal year that ended June 30. An annual report from the state’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability suggests a connection between video’s popularity and casinos’ decline...

Jim Anderson -- Illinois Radio Network In two years, Illinois’ video gambling business has grown from zero to 18,118 positions. The industry came into being two years ago, and expanded rapidly with terminals turning up in bars, restaurants, truck stops and veterans’ halls...

Jim Anderson - Illinois Radio Network Anti-gambling forces want local referenda in any of the places being eyed for a new casino. It’s what communities deserve, says the Rev. John Alan Boryk, a retired United Methodist pastor from Des Plaines and part of the Stop Predatory Gambling campaign...