By STEVE BINDER
Illinois Correspondent

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Ag leaders in Illinois are willing to roll the dice and are urging Gov. Pat Quinn to sign controversial legislation that would expand gambling in the state, including adding a casino in Chicago and four other locations.

Senate Bill 744, the first extensive gambling measure in Illinois since riverboat gaming was approved in the early 1990s, narrowly passed both chambers in state legislature this spring and is headed toward Quinn’s desk.

Dozens of local farm leaders, as well as officials with the Illinois Farm Bureau, traveled to Springfield last week in a public show of support for passage of the bill, in large part because money is earmarked for a variety of ag purposes.
Quinn, meanwhile, said previously that he thought the level of expansion, including adding slot machines to the Illinois State Fairgrounds and at racetracks throughout the state, was too “top-heavy.” But he has not said whether he will sign the bill or amend it to his liking.

During a private meeting with lawmakers Thursday, Quinn was said to have many questions but didn’t indicate what he would do with the bill, state Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) told the Associated Press. Lang is the House sponsor of the gambling measure and is urging Quinn to sign the measure as is.
“The governor asked a lot of questions. He took a lot of notes. He did a lot of writing.

It was a good meeting; (but) there was no hint as to what the governor did or didn’t want in the bill,” he explained.

Lang said Quinn asked detailed questions about how the various forms of gambling expansion would be implemented and what impact they would have, but he didn’t offer many of his own opinions.

Tom Moore, president of the Illinois Assoc. of Agriculture Fairs (IAAF), said the bill’s impact on the ag industry in the state would be significant. “Because of the overwhelming urban influence of the Chicagoland area, many people don’t realize that Illinois is primarily an agricultural state and often take for granted the actual origin of the agricultural products they rely so heavily upon,” he said.

“County fairs provide a backdrop for competitions that raise the bar for the development of agricultural products within our state, and are an economic engine in their communities. Our state funding has been slashed heavily in recent years and SB 744 would provide funding to allow such programs to continue.”

The bill has money specifically earmarked for ag purposes. It includes:
•$5 million for county fairs
•$10 million for Soil and Water Conversation Districts
•$4 million for University of Illinois Cooperative Extension
•$1 million for the Forestry Fund for CREP Forestry Assistance Program
•$2.5 million for the state’s historic sites
•$2.5 million Parks and Conservation Fund for operations costs
•$100,000 in equine research to Illinois public universities

“The gaming provisions at the state fairgrounds … establishes the Future of Agriculture Fund, which would direct funding through the Illinois Department of Agriculture to county fairs, the Illinois Association of FFA and the University of Illinois Extension 4-H programs,” said Margaret Vaughn, the IAAF’s government affairs director.

Marvin Perzee, longtime director of the Iroquois County Fair in southern Illinois, made the trip to Springfield last week. He said gambling revenue in Chicago would help pay for the fair in Watseka.
“Now we’re all in trouble financially, and we need a dedicated source of monies,” Perzee said.