Emanuel says he’ll keep pushing for Chicago casino

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he will keep pushing for a casino in the city after Gov. Pat Quinn rejected a bill that would have allowed one to be built.

In a brief statement, the mayor said Tuesday that the governor agreed with him on the importance of drafting and passing a gambling bill. Quinn vetoed gambling expansion in Illinois, saying the proposed legislation had sparse ethical protections.

Emanuel did not address Quinn’s contention that the bill lacked sufficient regulatory oversight and that the bill included “loopholes for mobsters.”

Instead, Emanuel focused on his own contention that a Chicago casino would create thousands of jobs and the absence of a casino means the city is losing $20 million a month and “countless” jobs to neighboring Indiana.