(The Center Square) – Casinos may provide a pathway for employment for former convicts with legislation awaiting Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature.
People with felony convictions are currently barred from working in Illinois casinos. A bill passed by the Illinois legislature in May will change that. State Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, sponsored Senate Bill 1462. He expects the governor to sign it.
“Allowing workers to perform jobs in the casinos that do not involve gaming decreases the likelihood that they will backslide and wind up back in prison,” Peters said.
The bill was supported by labor unions and the Illinois Gaming Board. It passed the legislature mostly along party lines.
Peters sponsored the bill at the request of Unite Here Local 1, the Illinois chapter of hotel, food service and gaming workers. Unite Here showed Peters that many previously incarcerated people are locked out of jobs at the Chicago Casino because they have been in prison.
“Mass incarceration and profoundly deep income inequality are tied together,” Peters said. “There is an inherent contradiction in saying that you want to be tough on crime while you are leaving people out of economic opportunity.”
A union job with benefits gives formerly incarcerated people a way to turn their lives around, Peters said.
“They can pay their rent, put food on the table and enjoy a dignified life,” he said. “I jumped at the chance to sponsor this bill.”
If the bill is signed into law, people with felony convictions will be eligible to apply for an occupational license from the Illinois Gaming Board. The license allows the holder to work at Illinois casinos in non-gaming positions. Under the proposed law, the Illinois Gaming Board will have the right to refuse a permit to “anyone deemed a threat to the state’s public interests or gaming integrity.” The types of convictions, the severity of the charges and the time period since the applicant was convicted will all be reviewed.
Bally’s Corporation is working to open a $1.7 billion Chicago Casino facility at Freedom Centre in River West in 2026.
