The annual ritual of gauging casino prospects in Waukegan has taken on a different context with a new occupant in the Governor's Mansion, and Mayor Wayne Motley told the City Council on Monday that he recently fielded an optimistic report from Bruce Rauner himself.

"I met with the governor on Friday," Motley said, "and he's not opposed to a casino in Waukegan.

"I suspect that if (a bill) doesn't come out of the House this spring, it will come out in the veto session in November," added Motley, expressing confidence the plan would include a Lake County location.

The mayor's report comes after 2013 saw the city named with North Chicago and Park City as eligible communities to host a county casino under a gambling bill that stalled on the legislative end. A 2014 version named Lake County only and also never made it out of the Statehouse to the desk of former Gov. Pat Quinn, whose term saw him veto two different casino-expansion proposals that included a Lake County community.

This year, another expansion package has emerged in the Illinois House, with HB3564 proposing five new gambling locations that would include Lake County and the city of Chicago, along with Vermilion, Winnebago and south Cook counties. Filed by state Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, and co-sponsored by Loves Park Republican John Cabello, the bill cleared its first reading and was assigned to the House Executive Committee last week.

During the 2014 election cycle, Rauner offered mixed sentiments on gambling expansion, telling the Associated Press in a campaign interview that "I don't gamble. I don't like gambling. (It) can be an addictive thing and it can hurt families that can't afford to be hurt."

However, he added that "if voters and municipalities would like to see more gaming, I will be supportive of that. There's a point at which you're maximizing the revenue. ... If you have a slot machine on every corner pretty soon there's not as much revenue and the casinos aren't making money, nobody's profitable anymore and the system shrinks back down."

The new political landscape also includes changes on the Illinois Gaming Board, where Rauner removed former Democratic legislator Aaron Jaffe as chairman and replaced him with Springfield attorney Don Tracy.

All of the developments leave communities like Waukegan to monitor movements from a distance. The city has set aside land for a casino at Fountain Square of Waukegan for the last decade waiting to see if a gambling license can be secured.

"I'm still adamant that Waukegan will get a casino, and I'll continue to say that until which time I know it won't happen," said Motley, adding that he feels "we're going to get that casino."

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