Quinn should sign casino bill

The (Freeport, Ill.) Journal-Standard: Gov. Pat Quinn should sign a bill passed by the Illinois General Assembly authorizing four additional casino sites in Illinois. One of those sites would be in Chicago proper and could be a huge revenue generator for the city and the state.

Unfortunately, Rockford is not on the list this time around. It should be if only as a hedge against resorts in nearby Wisconsin. Better to have the wages of sin fund public worker pensions at home than those in the Dairy State.

Rockford also needs something to jump-start its economy. While it may never become a tourism Mecca — few industrial towns make that sort of transition — the presence of a casino could revitalize the central business district and draw more hotels and restaurants to the city. Those sorts of businesses are job-creation machines not only for the hospitality industry but for the companies that train and supply them.

We think a casino in Rockford would also generate jobs and entertainment opportunities for Stephenson County. While Winnebago County would reap the most from the tax windfall a casino creates, the subsequent municipal and county investments in infrastructure and services will benefit Freeport, if only as it is home to one of the state’s foremost paving and construction companies.