By AP/KWMU
Springfield, ILL. – Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich said Monday the state should consider owning a casino, if safeguards are in place. He didn't specify what those safeguards would be.
A proposal by Penn National Gaming calls for the company to build a casino in the Chicago suburbs and then sell it to the state for a dollar. But six other companies are also bidding for that license, which is the only unused casino license in the state.
The first-term Democrat has previously expressed interest in the idea of having publicly owned casinos run by hired management firms.
The Reverend Tom Grey, who heads the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, says Blagojevich's comments put him in the middle of the debate over whether the state should own a casino.