Conehead Doesn't Want Money?

And Bally's is the reason?

• The $16.6 billion budget approved by a City Council majority last December lifted the ban on video gambling in Chicago, but Mayor Brandon Johnson has yet to pursue licensing approval from the Illinois Gaming Board.

  Convinced that Johnson is buying time in order to pursue a repeal of the Council’s lifting of the ban, Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) is taking matters into his own hands.

  Beale is sending a letter Wednesday to the Illinois Gaming Board meant to serve as official notification that City Hall has lifted the video gambling ban, and that acceptance of license applications for video gambling can begin. The letter is co-signed by at least 15 other Council members, and is accompanied by a certified copy of the revenue ordinance that counts on collecting $6.8 million this year by licensing newly legalized video gambling terminals at bars, restaurants, theaters and bowling alleys across the city.

And why isn't the broke-ass Conehead allowing licensing to proceed?

• Bally’s has warned that lifting the Chicago ban on video gambling terminals would cost the city $74 million in annual revenue and as many as 1,050 jobs at its temporary and permanent casinos.

  That’s because it would force the Johnson administration to renegotiate “critical elements” of its host agreement with Bally’s, and wipe out a yearly $4 million lump-sum payment from the company and shrink the jackpot needed to save police and fire pension funds.

Correct us if we're wrong, but Bally's hasn't hit a single one of their revenue "projections" at their temporary casino yet. And they're over a year behind in building the actual casino (which is probably twenty years behind what should have been decades of revenue).

And we're pretty sure that the video gambling going on at Bally's won't be in conflict with the video gaming going on at bars, (most) restaurants, theaters or bowling alleys. Ballys' is catering to the tourist and convention people - most of those other locations are in the neighborhoods where tourists aren't.

We don't like relying solely on gambling to fund the pensions, but it's a revenue stream to be exploited. 

Exploit it already.