BND.com – Participants at a hearing Monday in the south Chicago suburbs on whether to expand gambling in Illinois raised similar issues to the ones raised during a previous hearing in East St. Louis. Namely: * Would an expansion harm existing casinos? * Will horse-racing tracks be able to survive without it? But at the hearing in Tinley Park, there were a couple of other questions that overshadowed those: Which south-Chicago suburb should get a license for a brand new casino? And how would the revenue from that casino be shared? State Rep. Robert Rita, D-Blue Island, who is shepherding…

The Illinois Senate on Wednesday approved a gambling expansion bill that allows a new casino in Chicago, four new casinos elsewhere and video gambling at horse-racing tracks. The measure passed 32-20 in the Senate and now goes to the House. If approved there, it would need the governor’s signature. Senate Bill 1739 is similar to bills passed by the General Assembly in 2011 and 2012. Those bills were rejected by Gov. Pat Quinn, who said he wanted any gambling expansion to include more safeguards against corruption. The measure would allow a new casino in Chicago as well as new casinos…