Potential Chicago Casino At The 78 Megadevelopment Opposed

Updated On Mar 3, 2022 by Ella McDonald

Proposed Rivers 78 Casino, ChicagoSummary

  • The 78 Community Advisory Council survey showed that over 70% of residents are not in favor of the megadevelopment.
  • Respondents said the casino is not appropriate for a vibrant and healthy riverfront.
  • A small portion of those surveyed were happy about new jobs as well as revenue for the city and state.

A casino is set to come to the Chicago area after legislative changes opened the possibility for a venue. Now, officials are trying to decide where the casino should be located.

In November, five finalist proposals were revealed, with a decision yet to be made on which proposal will be selected. One option is the 78 megadevelopment as well as options near Soldier Field and the Marshalling Yards.

For the 78 Community Advisory Council, the group conducted a survey after it was revealed that the area was considered an option. The goal of the survey was to see if residents were in favor of such a project. The recently released results show that so far, they are not. The majority of those participating said they do not see a casino a good option for the community.

 

Details of the Chicago Casino Survey

More than 380 residents were surveyed regarding the 78 megadevelopment and the results were provided during a recent Advisory Council meeting. Over 100 members of the community joined in the virtual meeting. The turnout of the meeting shows that the casino is a hot topic of debate.

The results of the survey showed that around 74% of residents are highly unsupportive of the casino proposal involving the megadevelopment. More than 75% said that a casino will not be appropriate for the riverfront to remain vibrant and healthy.

The project would be built by Related Midwest and would border the Chicago River, Roosevelt Road, Clark Street, and Ping Tom Park. The venue would bring in new jobs and revenues to the area in Illinois, along with entertainment options for locals and visitors.

Only a small minority of those surveyed were optimistic about the casino plan as it would bring in new jobs and revenues. Most were concerned that such a development would bring in traffic and crime, along with gambling addiction.

Breaking Down the Survey Demographic

The survey consisted of mostly South Loop residents, with a small percentage living in Chinatown. 78 Council member Debbie Liu stated that the racial makeup of the survey reflects the demographic of South Loop and there are plans to circulate the survey to a wider area so that it includes a more diverse opinion.

With the first round of the survey, around 52% of the individuals participating were white and 31% Asian. Only around 8.5% were Latino, and 6% were African American.

Community members in attendance during the meeting spoke out after the details of the survey were provided. Most were not in favor of the casino due to its proximity to a neighborhood that is home to an elementary school, children’s activities and parks.

There is a group speaking out against the casino plan, with a petition in place to try and stop the 78 megadevelopment. South Loop Community Against a Casino is currently collecting signatures in an effort to stop the gaming industry from moving in.

Ella McDonald Author

Worldwide gambling related news stories are what you will find being written by Ella, she has a keen interest however in UK and European based new stories relating to all gaming environments, and she is always prepared to ask the difficult questions many other journalists avoiding asking those in power.

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