Chicago Mayoral candidate proposes casino at O’Hare International Airport

During an interview aired last weekend on WBBM-AM, former Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy explained that an airport casino would be a big money-earner for the city while cutting down on many of the societal problems that can accompany legalized gambling.

“The issue with a casino in the city, my understanding, was all of the problems it causes in the community. How about we put a casino in O’Hare Airport where now it’s for travelers coming through and it’s not going to affect the community, and anybody who goes there has to go through TSA?” McCarthy said.

“That’s going to eliminate the issue of the downside of not being able to control what happens, you know, whether it’s organized crime, prostitution, narcotics or whatever it is and, at the same time, that’s going to generate revenue,” he said.

“How many people come through O’Hare and have layovers, and have to sit around for hours and hours and hours?” he said during the interview with Craig Dellimore. “If they’re sitting at a blackjack table, there’s going to be revenue generated.”

As reported by Chicago Tribune, a Chicago-based casino has been a dream of various mayors, Emanuel among them. And his administration has lobbied in the past for the flexibility to place some of a city casino’s gambling positions — typically slot machines — at O'Hare International and Midway airports.

But gambling expansion of any kind has long been a tough sell in Springfield, where existing casino owners always push hard against proposals for new ones. A city casino could draw gamblers from the suburbs, where betting revenue has been dropping for years.

Talks in Springfield about new casinos have been relatively quiet under Gov. Bruce Rauner. Former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed a gambling expansion package that included a Chicago casino.

McCarthy mentioned the casino construction as a logical extension of Emanuel’s massive O’Hare expansion projects, big parts of which aldermen approved last week.

Paul Vallas, meanwhile, took a step toward a mayoral run Monday by filing paperwork with the State Board of Elections to set up a campaign fund. Attorney Burt Odelson previewed the move last week, saying Vallas’ campaign was “full-speed ahead.