Chicago Bears Announce Bid for Arlington International Property
The Monsters of the Battle of Midway power get to follow upward with a unexampled nickname. On Thursday, the Chicago Bears revealed that they submitted a proposition to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse prop currently owned by John Churchill Downs Inc.
The Louisville-based gaming companion announced inward February its plans to sell the 326-acre developing inward the tony Chicago suburb, saying that the solid ground had – to the humiliation of thoroughbred horsemen – to a greater extent suitable purposes. Since then, rumors circulated almost the city’s darling NFL team’s interest.
Those rumors turned to trueness via Twitter.
“We recently submitted a entreat to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse property,” squad President and CEO Teddy boy Phillips said inward a statement. “It is our obligation to explore every possible option to ensure we’re doing what’s topper for our organization and its future. If selected, this step allows us to further evaluate the prop and its potential.”
The Bears are the secondment entity to publically foretell their stake in the property. A mathematical group led past Roy Arnold, a former Arlington Park data track president, issued a statement on Tuesday, the deadline to accede a bid. Arnold’s aggroup seeks to economise the historic caterpillar tread for racing and make grow other parcels around it.
Property Could Still Host Gaming
Should Churchill Downs plectrum the Bears bid, it would not necessarily last the property’s potency as a gaming site. While football game would replace gymnastic horse racing on the property, the Bears could act on a sports betting license.
The expanded gaming practice of law Land of Lincoln lawmakers passed II years ago non only if legalized sports betting, but it also allowed the state’s major league pro teams with venues seating area at least 17,000 to follow a license and host a sportsbook on-site or close their stadium.
The cost for the licence is $10 million.
Last year, DraftKings proclaimed a partnership with the Windy City Cubs to eventually set up a sportsbook at or nigh Wrigley Field, the club’s longtime home.
In Washington, DC, William James Jerome Hill has opened a sportsbook at Washington One Arena. Across town, BetMGM late went unrecorded with its peregrine sports betting app inward the nation’s capital. BetMGM plans to undecided a brick-and-mortar rule book in that location later this year.
Arlington Heights Mayor Welcomes Bears Interest
For the yesteryear span of years, First Duke of Marlborough Downs officials and representatives from the Land of Lincoln Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association maintained a rimy relationship. That stemmed from CDI’s decision not to follow a racino license. But in that location were lingering concerns virtually the track’s future.
Officials in the small town of Arlington Heights, which has embraced the track as a town symbol, also grew worried most a possible closure.
However, if horse racing’s no thirster inwards the cards for Arlington, then, per a statement from the village’s mayor Thursday, the Bears making it their place seems an intriguing option.
We welcome the Chicago Bears interest inwards the Arlington Mungo Park site,” Mayor Tom Rutherford B. Hayes said. “It is a one-of-a-kind location, and we are glad that the Bears ownership sees its tremendous potential.”
Hayes added that small town officials testament do work with Winston S. Churchill Downs and CBRE, its broker, “to closely review” the bids.
Aside from the Bears and Matthew Arnold submissions, Hayed told Casino.org in an email that local officials did not experience how many bids the attribute received. Further, he added, Arlington Heights’ main anteriority is seeing to it that the Arlington Park put down is pose “to its highest and topper use.”
One public official who was non thrilled to hear near the bidding was Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. a self-avowed Bears devotee and flavour fine holder, she issued a financial statement reiterating the Bears signed a take to play at Soldier Field for another 12 years.
She decried the Arlington tender as a “negotiation tactic” as talks feature transpired between the II sides nearly renovations to the stream stadium, and that she will perform everything she tin can to maintain the team inwards Windy City and out of the burbs.
“And similar most Bears fans, we need the organization to focus on putting a winning team up on the field, licking the Packers finally, and beingness relevant past tense October,” she quipped. “Everything else is noise.”