Community College Presidents in Illinois Hoping For Gambling in Danville

The public education systems around the country have received billions of dollars thanks to casino gambling, now presidents of universities in Illinois are hoping to bring the revenue generator to Danville.

Community college presidents around the state of Illinois have seen what revenue dollars from casinos have done in other areas, and they want some of that money for their schools.

Colleges in Illinois are in need of funding for construction projects that are in the works. The presidents see a casino as a way to come up with the funding necessary.

"I think we've almost reached the point in this state where we need to look at every possible source. It's been so difficult to obtain any capitol funding that perhaps this is an attractive option only because it's possible," said Jonathon Astroth, president of Heartland community College.

His sentiments have been echoed by many of the presidents in the state. The funding has been hard to come by, leaving a casino as an attractive solution to the problem.

The idea is a good one, but might be hard to accomplish for Danville. Many places in Illinois are bidding to win the new licenses from the state. several factors will be used to determine the ultimate destination of the casinos.



2008-01-29