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NFL’s Chicago Bears Submit Bid To Purchase Arlington Park For New Stadium

The National Football League's Chicago Bears announced Thursday afternoon they have submitted a bid to purchase Arlington Park racetrack in Arlington Heights, Ill., from Churchill Downs Inc.

“We recently submitted a bid to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse property,” said Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips. “It's our obligation to explore every possible option to ensure we're doing what's best for our organization and its future. If selected, this step allows us to further evaluate the property and its potential.”

The Bears are the second known bidder for the 326-acre property that has hosted horse racing since 1927. A group led by former Arlington president Roy Arnold issued a statement on Tuesday saying it has submitted a bid to develop a portion of the property while continuing racing at the northwest suburban Chicago track. Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes told the Chicago Sun-Times on Wednesday that he had met with “less than 10” potential bidding groups before a 5 p.m. CT Tuesday deadline to submit bids on the property.

The Bears currently play at Soldier Field along Lake Michigan just south of downtown Chicago. That stadium, which first opened in 1924, was renovated at a cost of $400 million earlier this century, reopening in the fall of 2003.

The Bears are owned by the heirs of the late George Halas, who owned and coached the team and first raised the possibility of moving the team to the suburbs nearly 50 years ago.

If Arlington Park becomes the new home of the Chicago Bears, it would be the second historic racetrack that had been owned by Churchill Downs Inc. to be developed into an NFL stadium. Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., was sold in 2005 by Churchill Downs to the Bay Meadows Land Company, which operated the track until 2013. It was demolished the following year for the construction of SoFi Stadium, since September 2020 the home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.

Churchill Downs Inc. shocked the Illinois racing industry when it opted not to apply for a casino license at Arlington following passage of an expanded gambling bill giving Illinois tracks something they had sought for more than 20 years. Churchill Downs Inc. is majority owner of Rivers Casino in nearby Des Plaines, and the company is seeking a casino license in Waukegan, north of Chicago.

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Former Arlington Park President Submits Bid To Purchase Track From Churchill Downs Inc.

The following statement was issued by Endeavor Properties LLC, whose president and CEO, Roy Arnold, served as president of Arlington Park from 2006-10.

Endeavor Properties LLC announced Tuesday that it submitted an offer, on behalf of a consortium, to purchase Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Ill., as part of a plan to continue Thoroughbred racing at the state's flagship track.

The purchaser consortium includes Endeavor and Sterling Bay, a prolific developer of office properties in downtown Chicago. It also includes Ocean Atlantic and GSP Development, as well as high net worth individuals.

Roy Arnold, president and CEO of Endeavor, noted that the group's plan to continue Thoroughbred horse racing at Arlington Park is consistent with the intent of the Illinois General Assembly as expressed by the Illinois Horse Racing Act and Public Act 101-31, the state's 2019 gaming expansion law. The existing track and grandstand would be retained.

The development plan also contemplates the construction of a mid-size arena suitable to host a minor league hockey team as an anchor tenant as part of a 60-acre four-season entertainment district, a low-density housing development with approximately 300 units, and a 60-acre industrial space.

“We are committed to close and continuous alignment with the community to ensure that this development enhances residents' quality of life, creates jobs and economic activity, and benefits the community while improving the tax base of the Village of Arlington Heights and the State of Illinois,” Arnold said.

Arnold said Endeavor, which submitted to Churchill Downs Inc. a letter of intent to purchase Arlington Park, will not comment on the specifics of the offer but that the group is confident that its plan to continue horse racing at Arlington Park is economically viable.

“We have the capital and the passion to make Thoroughbred racing work at Arlington Park,” Arnold said. “We look forward to continuing the legacy that is Arlington.”

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Former Illinois Governor Sounds Off On Intended Sale Of Arlington Park

Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, a horse owner-breeder and racing enthusiast, has called on current Gov. J.B. Pritzker to use his influence to stop Arlington Park in Arlington Heights from being sold for development by its owner, the publicly traded Churchill Downs Inc.

Edgar's comments, made to DailyHerald.com, came after the suburban newspaper's editorial board similarly called for Prizker's involvement in preventing the closure of Arlington Park. “If he showed true interest in saving Arlington Park, it would be saved,” the editorial said of Pritzker.

“Churchill Downs has shown a willingness to exert great force and influence to control the conduct of racing and gaming in Illinois,” the editorial stated. “An equal show of resolve now from the governor could be the right thing for the many communities and interests that have relied on Arlington Park for so long.”

In his comments to the paper, Edgar suggested that Pritzker has leverage in the awarding of additional casino licenses Churchill Downs is seeking in Waukegan and downtown Chicago.

“When you're giving out (casino) licenses, you've got to think what's in the best interest of the state,” Edgar said. “And if an entity has not really done what's in the best interest of the state, I'm not sure why you'd continue to give them more licenses.”

Edgar told DailyHerald.com he got to know Pritzker when both served on the board of directors of the advance deposit wagering company Youbet.com in 2007. Pritzker's investment company was reported to be Youbet's largest shareholder. Churchill Downs acquired Youbet in 2009.

Arlington Herald editorial

Former Gov. Edgar's comments

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Illinois Horsemen Urge Antitrust Investigation Over Alleged Arlington Park-Rivers Casino Link

The following statement was issued by the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association:

The Illinois attorney general's office has been urged to investigate whether Churchill Downs Inc. committed state or federal antitrust violations when it took a series of steps to preclude casino gaming and diminish pari-mutuel wagering at a site in close proximity to its Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Ill.

Churchill spent two decades pursuing the authority to operate a casino at the Arlington Park racetrack in Arlington Heights, but, after purchasing the majority stake in Rivers, maneuvered to end gaming at the nearby track. Churchill abruptly abandoned its Arlington casino plan and, in moving to sell the property, insisted the site's future use would be “higher and better” than horse racing – effectively ending the continuation of meaningful pari-mutuel wagering activity. All the while, Churchill executives were careful in their public comments to avoid stipulating any motive on their part to suppress competition facing Rivers, their highly successful casino.

Also established is that Churchill contradicted the intent of a 2019 Illinois law that authorized a casino license for Arlington – the privilege that Churchill had sought before purchasing its stake in Rivers. Churchill's decision to forgo the option to open a casino at Arlington surprised Illinois elected officials who backed the 2019 law; the Arlington casino was intended by state officials to generate new tax revenue for the state and local governments, boost pari-mutuel wagering, enhance the racing program at the track, and create scores of new racing-related jobs.

But unclear is whether Churchill's steps rose to violations of state or federal antitrust laws. In a letter to the Illinois attorney general's office, Mike Campbell, president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, described a pattern of deceit by Churchill executives and argued that the publicly available evidence supports the launch of an antitrust investigation.

“Churchill executives evidently engaged in a campaign to block current and future gaming scenarios at Arlington while telegraphing messages to deflect public attention from its actual intent: shielding Rivers from a major gaming competitor in close proximity,” Campbell wrote in the letter, which also was forwarded to the U.S. Justice Department. A PDF of the letter is available here.

Arlington is just a 12-mile drive from Rivers; a reinvigorated horse racing program at Arlington, particularly as part of a casino entertainment complex, would become the closest major gaming competitor to Rivers. In February, Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes told ABC7/WLS-TV in Chicago what others had privately concluded. “I think it's clear why they did not choose to open a casino at the racetrack property – because it would directly compete with their majority interest in the Rivers Casino,” he said of Churchill.

Churchill plans to accept bids for the purchase of Arlington in mid-June. Amid widespread concern that Churchill might be angling to preclude a future owner of Arlington from engaging in forms of gaming, the Arlington Heights village board in early May approved an ordinance intended to prohibit Churchill from placing certain restrictions – specifically, those that would prevent future gaming – on the property.

Campbell noted in the letter to the Illinois attorney general's office that the ITHA brought to the attention of Illinois racing regulators a reported offer in 2019 by a group of prospective owners to purchase Arlington from Churchill with the intent of continuing racing, and developing a casino, at that site. Churchill reportedly refused but never publicly noted any such offer.

“It's unfortunate that Churchill Downs, once a stalwart of thoroughbred racing, appears now to care solely about corporate profit. But Illinois isn't Churchill's trough – our state doesn't exist to feed Churchill's greed,” Campbell said. “A gaming license such as the one granted to Rivers Casino is a privilege. It means Churchill has a responsibility to follow the law, particularly when the law is aimed at serving the best interests of Illinois taxpayers.”

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