KWQC – An Illinois lawmaker says the clock is ticking on a gambling expansion measure that could boost revenue for the state. Democratic Rep. Bob Rita of Blue Island sent a letter to House Speaker Michael Madigan and Republican leader Jim Durkin on Monday hoping to gain support for his plan. The proposal has two options. One adds five casinos and slots at horse tracks. The other calls for a mega-casino in Chicago. Lawmakers have proposed changes to allow slot machines at the Fairmount Park horse track in Collinsville. Public hearings convinced Rita they would hurt an East St. Louis…

St Louis Post Dispatch – An Illinois House committee is planning a daylong hearing on gambling expansion in the state. The Executive Committee will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Bilandic Building in downtown Chicago. The morning session will focus on a plan by Rep. Bob Rita to create a large casino in Chicago, but none elsewhere. The session beginning at 1 p.m. will focus on Rita’s alternative to build a smaller Chicago gambling house and four scaled-back casinos in Winnebago, Vermilion and Lake counties, and in a south suburb of Chicago. The Blue Island Democrat has proposed alternative…