Newly released records show that the gambling and casinos company Penn National Gaming of Wyomissing, Pa has contributed more than $218,000 to Illinois legislators since January of 2004.
The amount donated by the gambling and casinos company, which owns three casinos in Illinois, has raised suspicions that the company is trying to get legislators to change state rules.
“They came in with nothing . . . but cash,” said the Rev. Thomas Grey, a national anti-gambling and casinos activist. “The fact that they have been so aggressive in Illinois is not surprising, given the nature of the company and the nature of Illinois.” Illinois, unlike many other states, has no cap on political donations.
The Illinois government recently ordered the gaming and casinos company to divest in one of its three casinos. Illinois only has nine gambling and casinos sites, and lawmakers decided that such a high concentration of ownership violates state law.
Publicly, the Penn National Gaming company agreed to divest of its property, asking the judge only for some additional time to do so. Others, however, believe that the gambling and casinos company’s generous giving indicates that they are trying to lobby lawmakers to rescind the ruling.
Tags: casinos, penn national gaming