Governor Pat Quinn (D) vetoed a casino expansion bill that would have added five casinos, including one in Chicago. His veto message stated that the biggest problem with the bill, “[I]s the absence of strict ethical standards and comprehensive regulatory oversight. Illinois should never settle for a gaming bill that includes loopholes for mobsters.” Governor Quinn promised a veto of a similar bill in 2011; that bill did not pass the Illinois legislature.
Illinois is still facing a massive budget deficit (the state is months behind in paying its bills), so casinos were one of the means that some legislators were looking at for balancing the budget.
An override in Illinois takes a 3/5 vote of both houses of the state legislature. There will be a lame duck session of the Illinois legislature following the November election.