Illinois: You can't make perfume out of a pile of … garbage."

Make them start over, Governor
'A pile of … garbage.'
Chicago Tribune

Legislators frantic for new state revenue have passed a gambling expansion bill that, at more than 400 pages, deserves to fall over of its own weight. Senate President John Cullerton is so nervous about what happens next that, with a parliamentary maneuver, he is keeping the bill from being transmitted to Gov. Pat Quinn for his signature — or his veto. Gambling proponents hope Cullerton and other lawmakers will soften up Quinn, who for years has spoken against just this sort of mega-expansion.

This gives Quinn, whom Cullerton recently called "irrelevant," a chance to be true to his principles and also demand a smaller, better-crafted expansion plan. Quinn can achieve those goals by telling legislators that he will veto this bill, but also guide them in shaping a more reasonable substitute. We suspect a veto would be popular with Illinois citizens. Other than the pro-gambling lobbyists and legislators who hurriedly rammed it through Springfield, almost no one likes this clumsy and dangerous bill.

Quinn forever will own whatever expansion measure he signs. He needs to help produce a smarter approach that protects Illinois gambling from the pastime's camp followers: mobsters and other crooks. If Quinn chooses this leadership path — instead of trying to fix by amendatory veto a monstrosity that can't be fixed that way — he'll have a wise ally who is renowned for always putting integrity first: retired Judge Aaron Jaffe, who as chairman of the Illinois Gaming Board is the state's top gambling regulator. Remember, it was Jaffe and his board colleagues who rescued Illinois from the Emerald Casino debacle — a tawdry case that also started with legislators trying to make a fast buck regardless of the legal perils.

On Tuesday, Jaffe opened a Gaming Board meeting with a devastating critique of the current bill and the risks of criminal intrusion that it blatantly invites. Among his compelling points:

• The bill essentially creates new gaming boards in Chicago and Springfield to oversee local gambling venues, but sloppily sets vague boundaries between those panels and the state board. Proposed regulation of "racinos" — casinos at race tracks — is similarly slippery.

• The bill awards casinos to cities that have shown little or no prior interest in them: "I would like to know how these areas were selected and why they have come to life at this particular time. This board spent months finding the proper place for the 10th license." That license, once held by Emerald, was awarded after careful study to the Rivers Casino, expected to open next month in Des Plaines.

• The bill improperly orders the Gaming Board to issue provisional licenses for video gambling establishments before the board can complete criminal background checks: "No one should get a license without being vetted. I don't know who possibly would want such a measure. I leave it to your imagination."

• The bill waives fingerprint requirements — again, for criminal background checks — at racinos: "If this happens (by legislative fiat) at the tracks, you can be sure that casino gaming, video gaming and all other gaming will not be far behind. Is this good regulation? I doubt that anyone who hears this thinks so."

• When legislators legalized video gambling in 2009, they promised to expand the Gaming Board regulatory staff to 300. That funding never arrived, so the headcount stands at 210. If this bill becomes law, the staff "has to double to do an adequate job of regulating. Will the money be forthcoming? I'm sure the legislators will tell you, 'Of course it will!' But I don't believe their promises any more."

Jaffe didn't object to expansion per se. Although he wasn't explicit, one passage suggested he would welcome a Chicago casino. Jaffe, a former member of the Illinois House, even offered a recipe on how to create a more modest expansion:

Quinn and Mayor Rahm Emanuel should confer with legislative leaders to draft a leaner bill that has a chance of gaining public support. "Do not put in material that is so bad that it has to be buried to pass," Jaffe advised. "Make sure other legitimate businesses" — (Illinois' existing casinos) — "are not cannibalized. Minimize social ills. There are a million things that (gambling advocates) have to do that they haven't considered."

Jaffe already had asserted that the bill Cullerton is keeping from Quinn is chock-full of expansion measures that never would pass on their own. We figure the fact that the bill more than triples the total gambling capacity at Illinois casinos is at the top of that list.

His pointed conclusion: "I'm going to be very polite now and not say what I think. I'll paraphrase it. You can't make perfume out of a pile of … garbage."

Governor Quinn, for years you have opposed a massive gambling expansion. Legislators are playing you as too desperate for revenue to veto this, um, massive gambling expansion.

As you mull your next move, Governor, recall that no one has done more than Jaffe to insulate Illinois gambling from criminal elements. Take his advice. Announce that you reject this bill. Tell its proponents you will help them start over.