Please note that this article was written before the April 28 IGB meeting, during which there was no discussion of Hawthorne.
Leaders of the Hawthorne Race Course racino project are eagerly anticipating positive updates at the upcoming Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) meeting on Thursday, April 28.
Hawthorne requires IGB acceptance in order to proceed with the project. No work has been done since the spring of 2020.
Nevertheless, there is a chance that the board will approve moving forward during the next meeting. John Walsh, the assistant general manager at Hawthorne, mentioned this possibility.
“We should be making progress at some point this summer.”
Tim Carey, the president and CEO of Hawthorne Race Course, has proposed that the delay may be related to job funding, although the exact reason is unclear. $430 million is set to be invested in the project.
Carey declared in 2021:
We went out and pushed ourselves to the limit to demolish the area, and we are almost there. We are ready to move on. Unlike big corporations in other places, our business is a family-run operation in Illinois. And you know what? Securing funding for a $430 million project takes time. It has just taken longer than expected to obtain the necessary permits from local communities.
The board meeting agenda will be publicly disclosed on April 26th. Following that, we will determine whether Hawthorne will receive a raise.
Illinois’ horse racing market is handled by Hawthorne.
Since Arlington Park has closed, Hawthorne is now the only horse racing track in northern Illinois that is still open.
In reality, the only other animal track in Illinois is the FanDuel Sportsbook & Horse Racing located in Collinsville.
Arlington’s absence has led to an increase in larger handbag styles and a greater presence of animals, as the horse year began earlier this month at Hawthorne.
However, there are some disadvantages. During the month of June, some horse owners may not have any races to participate in at Hawthorne due to the alternating schedule between harness and thoroughbred racing. This could result in users and animals being forced to leave the state.
According to Mike Campbell, the ex-president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association,
This situation is like a dream, and we are all feeling shocked and let down. The entire driving schedule is in shambles, and the esteemed individuals will need to find another place to go in June.
Churchill Downs plans to sell Arlington, the most popular horse racing track in Illinois, to the Chicago Bears. While a purchase agreement is in place between the two parties, a final deal has not yet been reached.
a burst of game advancements in Illinois
The six new Illinois casino licenses granted by the legislature in 2019 have received significant attention, with five of the locations currently in different stages of development. Chicago, however, stands out as the exception.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot plans to announce the winning bidder by summer. The city has just concluded community meetings for the three remaining proposals, during which members of the public raised their concerns.
It’s easy to overlook the two potential racinos in Illinois amidst all the other considerations. One is Hawthorne, and FanDuel Sportsbook & Horse Racing also has plans to open one.
A sportsbook is already available at every track.
If the IGB gives Hawthorne the green light for their plans, Stickney could potentially see the first racino in Illinois open within the next year or two. The Illinois gambling industry is always full of excitement.
