Gambling bill fails in House; Tryon says it's not dead

SPRINGFIELD – Gambling legislation designed to pick up new support so it could survive a veto failed, 58-53, to clear the Illinois House on Wednesday amid opposition from Gov. Pat Quinn and blistering criticism from the state’s top gambling regulator.

Though votes against the measure outweighed votes for the bill, State Rep. Mike Tryon, R-Crystal Lake, said the bill is not yet dead.

The bill still can come back for a vote because it received the more-than-40 votes necessary to put it on postponed consideration, Tryon said.

“My guess is that they’ll bring it back again once more,” said Tryon, who voted no on the bill. “There’s a lot more people concerned about the size of the bill and what the money is spent on.”

Looking stunned, the measure’s sponsor said he was at a loss to explain the outcome.

“We’ll get to the bottom of it and figure out if we can find the necessary votes to pass it by tomorrow,” said Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie.

The surprise results added to the uncertainty and unfinished business heading into what was supposed to be the final day of the fall legislative session. Also still left on the table for today were tax breaks for businesses, efforts to keep Quinn from closing prisons and mental institutions, changes to government pensions and restoring salaries for regional school superintendents.

The long “to-do” list prompted House leaders to announce an extra day of work on Nov. 21, primarily to deal with the business incentives.

House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, said opposition from Quinn and the head of the Illinois Gaming Board probably hurt the gambling bill.

“That could dissuade people from voting yes,” Madigan said.

The Democratic governor has spent weeks criticizing the gambling legislation, largely because it would allow slot machines at horse-racing tracks. On Wednesday, Gaming Board Chairman Aaron Jaffe stepped up his criticism of the bill, saying it would weaken regulatory oversight of gambling in Illinois.

Jaffe said the bill was being pushed through so quickly that many lawmakers, perhaps even its sponsors, don’t understand what it would do.

“If they do understand what they’re voting on, they should be ashamed of themselves,” Jaffe said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “They’re undermining regulation, and they’re undermining it terribly.”