One of the state's most influential gambling companies withdrew its bid to win the right to open a new casino in Waukegan just hours after it announced it would sell Arlington International Racecourse to the Chicago Bears, officials said Thursday.

Churchill Downs Inc. confirmed the flashy $197.2 million agreement with the Bears Wednesday morning, a deal that -- if finalized -- ensures no rival casino developer breaks ground on the Northwest suburban oval that's only a short drive away from the company's premier Illinois cash cow: Rivers Casino in Des Plaines.

By Wednesday afternoon, Churchill Downs notified Illinois gambling regulators it was withdrawing its Waukegan casino license application that was submitted nearly two years ago as a joint venture with billionaire Rivers chairman Neil Bluhm's Rush Street Gaming.

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20210930/churchill-downs-withdraws-waukegan-casino-bid-hours-after-announcing-arlington-park-sale-