rick simon herguth fine rivers casino chicago

Bruce Rauner, though he has yet to be confirmed by the Illinois Senate. Tracy was appointed to the post last year by Gov. Rivers entered into settlement talks with the gaming board and an agreement was reached in late January and early February to pay $1.65 million, according to the settlement agreement.Ī spokesman for Rivers and Neil Bluhm, chairman of the venture that owns Rivers, wouldn’t comment other than to say the fine has been paid and “United Services is no longer a vendor.”ĭon Tracy, chairman of the gaming board, said “I think it was a fair settlement,” and the fine was “the biggest one in my tenure.” For instance, the casino was accused of allowing patrons to enter a “$250,000 Sign Up and Win New Member Giveaway” after the promotional period had ended. The gaming board also raised regulatory issues with Rivers unrelated to United. Instead, the gaming board slammed Rivers for the way Simon’s company was hired – without competitive bids and, in some instances, even a formal contract, in violation of procurement protocols that are supposed to ensure the integrity of casino operations, according to the state agency’s disciplinary complaint. In August, the gaming board proposed a $2 million fine against Rivers, though the regulators didn’t directly take the casino to task for hiring United.

The gaming board started a probe, which was later combined with another investigation into problems with patron promotions at Rivers.

Rivers officials said at the time they hadn’t known about Simon’s background – even though it had been documented for years in news reports – and then notified the gaming board about United’s work for Rivers. The gaming board, which regulates casinos and video gaming in Illinois, can penalize gaming license holders for anything that “would discredit or tend to discredit the Illinois Gaming industry,” including “employing persons of notorious or unsavory reputation,” according to state rules. The BGA asked Rivers officials last May about United’s hiring because Illinois casinos are not supposed to have even a hint of organized crime connections – something that helped sink Rosemont’s years-long push to score a gaming license.

Rick simon herguth fine rivers casino chicago