Would gambling in Chicago hurt suburban casinos?

Suburban casinos again are pushing back against gambling expansion in Illinois, particularly the idea of a massive competitor in Chicago.

An Illinois House hearing Monday came with the nearly annual push for gambling expansion that could include new casinos in Lake County, Chicago and the South suburbs, as well as more than 1,000 slot machines at Arlington Park.

Gambling expansion supporters say that expanding gambling to Chicago would boost the city's tourism and give convention goers from places like McCormick Place somewhere to gamble. The hearing was based around Mayor Rahm Emanuel's push to put a casino in Chicago this year, and Choose Chicago, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and hotel associations testified in favor.

But opponents say there are already enough gambling options in northern Illinois.

“We believe that the market is saturated,” Illinois Casino Gaming Association Executive Director Tom Swoik said.

The Chicago-area market already includes five casinos and the expanding market of video gambling at bars and restaurants.

“We've seen money being shifted around. Yes, their overall revenues for video gaming and casino gaming have gone up from the last couple years,” Swoik said. “But our revenues have gone down significantly.”

Jeannie Evans, of Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems, argued Chicago convention organizers already have a gambling option in nearby Des Plaines.

“For the people that feel like they need to be able to market casinos as part of a package, we've heard that the Rivers Casino can be part of that package,” Evans said. “It's 15 miles away, a 30-minute drive.”