In its current form, Aurora's Hollywood Casino occupies a barge tethered near downtown on the Fox River. The city wants to build a brand new casino resort about five miles away, near an outlet mall and an exit to Interstate 88, about 35 miles from Chicago. The total cost of the project is estimated at $360 million. Aurora officials want to loan the casino operator, Penn Entertainment (PENN), $50 million up front.
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.