The tax rate for the proposed resort used to be even higher, but the Illinois Legislature last year approved measures that reduced it to a more palatable rate. Several companies, including some based in Las Vegas, are no doubt looking at the opportunities Chicago presents and in the months ahead will be weighing whether being the only casino in town in an area with more than 9.5 million residents and tons of transportation options to get there is worth the steep price of admission - mainly the effective 40 percent gaming tax rate.

It was in early March that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced that an RFP is coming for a single resort that is expected to include hotel, dining, entertainment and convention amenities. It shouldn’t be long before Chicago unveils its request for proposals to build a casino resort in the nation’s third-largest metropolitan area.

The Chicago skyline is reflected in the water of the thawed snow as a cyclist passes by at North Avenue Beach on Monday, March 1, 2021, in Chicago.

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