Illinois Governor Pat Quinn took a trip to the Illinois State Fair on Wednesday, August 17, where he was engaged by a group of people that pleaded for him to give the green light for expanded gaming in the state
, which would lead to video lottery terminals and increased purses at the state's raceways.
A report by The State Journal-Register explains that the Governor was met by 'dozens' of individuals in orange shirts that were pushing the gaming expansion agenda.
“The cost of feed, fuel, all of the expenses have gone up and up and up, and yet we’re racing for about a third of what we used to race for in this state," 37-year-old horseman Josh Carter was quoted as saying. "The math doesn’t work.”
“Harness racing has been at the fair for a long time, but when you put in slot machines, that’s a wholly different situation,” said Quinn, who was later quoted as saying, presumably tongue in cheek, “Who needs slot machines when you have (Grandstand entertainer) MC Hammer?”
(With files from The State Journal-Register)
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