Decatur in line for horse racing track, casino under proposed legislation

SPRINGFIELD — Decatur is in line to be the site of a horse racing track with a casino under legislation in the works in the state Capitol. 

The legislation, which has yet to be filed, would specifically authorize an organization license for harness racing in Macon County. 

Though the license would technically be open to any group that applies for it, the legislation is aimed at opening the door for Chicago-based Revolutionary Racing to develop a more than 200-acre parcel of vacant land at the northwest corner of U.S. 36 and Wyckles Road into a harness race track.

The proposed development would also include a casino — to be located near the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel — with 900 gaming positions and a 60,000-square-foot sports complex, according to officials briefed on the plans.

Illinois racetracks are permitted to apply for a gaming license that permits on- or near-site slot and table games, facilities known as "racinos," under the massive gaming expansion law Gov. JB Pritzker signed in 2019.

Officials with Revolutionary Racing did not return a request for comment on the specifics of the plan, which is described as a $150 million investment in Decatur that would create 300 permanent jobs. The group opened a $75 million gaming facility and race track in Kentucky in 2023.

Decatur city officials are aware of the potential project. 

"We’re familiar with the racino proposal," said Deputy City Manager Jon Kindseth in a statement. "The city awaits to discuss potential next steps after necessary action is taken in Springfield."

State lawmakers are currently in Springfield for a "lame duck" session, which ends Tuesday, ahead of the swearing in of a new General Assembly on Wednesday. 

Lawmakers and lobbyists working on the racino legislation say the bill is unlikely to move during the lame duck session but will likely be at the top of the agenda in the new session, which will run through the end of May. 

In addition to the Decatur angle, the legislation may establish a firm deadline for the owners of Hawthorne Race Course in suburban Cook County to develop their a new harness race track and casino.

The 2019 gaming expansion law authorized an additional race track in Chicago’s south suburbs, but gave Hawthorne the power to veto any proposed project within 35 miles of its existing track. 

As a result, potential projects for a racetrack and casino there have been stifled. And the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association, which represents the state’s harness racing interests, have sought to have Hawthorne’s veto power revoked. 

The legislation would also likely authorize additional race days for harness horses in Illinois. 

The Illinois horse racing industry has struggled mightily in recent years. 

The state’s horse racing handle slid from $514 million in 2022 to $490 million in 2023, the lowest in 40 years, according to data from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. 

The 2019 legislation authorizing racinos at existing race tracks was meant to help rejuvenate the industry by bringing in new customers and generating revenue that would be used for higher purses. 

But no racinos have opened in the subsequent years. The owners of FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing in Collinsville have announced plans to develop a racino, but Hawthorne has yet to do so. 

And Arlington International Racecourse, long the state’s marquee horse racing track, shuttered in 2021. The property was subsequently sold to the Chicago Bears. The team, eyeing the 326-acre site for a potential stadium, demolished the track’s grandstand last year. 

As a result, there are only two active horse racing venues in Illinois, with Hawthorne being the only one with harness racing. 

Jeff Davis, president of the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association, acknowledged that "our industry has been really hurt over the last 10 years" and needs additional tracks to stay alive. 

"Frankly, with all of the gaming stuff going on in Chicago, we need facilities and racing opportunities and something downstate where a lot of our members currently reside and a lot of our breeding (occurs)," Davis said. "This would be a boon to them."

The legislation would also likely authorize additional harness racing dates at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in the summer. 

It’s not the first time Decatur has been eyed for a potential casino.

In 2016, two former Argosy Gaming Co. executives said earlier they would like to develop a 400- to 600-gaming position casino in the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel.

However, the city was not included in the 2019 gaming expansion bill, which authorized additional casinos in Chicago, Danville, Rockford, south suburban Cook County, Waukegan and Williamson County.

Soy City is hardly without sin, however, as it has 500 video gaming terminals — fourth-highest of any city in Illinois — scattered across 85 establishments.