The Joint City Council Committee has agreed to debate Chicago’s sports betting ban to allow sports betting in and around five stadiums.
The City’s Zoning and Licensing Committee advanced the sports betting ordinance to City Hall, after adding a clause aimed at appeasing Congress’s Black Bench.
The Black Congressional Bench is a political action committee that was founded as a political arm and aims to “increase the number of black members of the US Congress.”
The language of the betting decree focuses on the city’s promise to “actively seek to achieve ethnic, racial and geographic diversity by issuing licenses for primary sports,” and to encourage minority and women-owned businesses to bid.
After the changes, the joint committee approved the ordinance by a vote of 19 to 7.
A Major Change for Chicago Sports Betting
Ahead of the final vote, Cubs president Tom Ricketts said his team is poised for the $100 million deal with DraftKings that will pave the way for Wrigley Field to be home to the stadium’s first sportsbook venue in the Major League Baseball.
He commented: “With the passing of this ordinance, construction would begin immediately with the goal of opening a sportsbook restaurant in time for the 2023 season. This will create construction jobs and revenue now and permanent jobs in just over a year.” .
“This isn’t a casino or even a mini-casino. It’s a sports bar-restaurant. It just allows fans who want to place a bet to have a place to do so.”
Michele Smith, chairman of the Ethics Committee, added that revenue from a Chicago stadium will come in handy as it is supposed to be used to support police and firefighters’ pension funds.
