DANVILLE — A group of local elected officials and business leaders are meeting with Gov. Pat Quinn Thursday (today) to tell him personally why they believe Danville should have a casino license.

Nine individuals — including Danville Mayor Scott Eisenhauer, state Sen. Mike Frerichs, state Rep. Chad Hays, retired state Rep. Bill Black and Vermilion Advantage President Vicki Haugen — are scheduled to meet in Chicago with the governor's staff and then with the governor, according to Eisenhauer.

"This is our face-to-face opportunity to spend time with him and present the reasons why we believe that a gaming license in Danville makes sense not only for us, but for the him and the state of Illinois," Eisenhauer said.

Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a bill that would expand gaming in the state but the governor has not signed it and has said that he believes it's too much, generating speculation that he would cut Danville or other proposed expansion out of the legislation. Currently, the legislation would add a riverboat casino in Danville, as well as casinos in Chicago, Rockford, the south Chicago suburbs and Lake County. It also would allow gambling at Chicago's two airports and slot machines at six Illinois racetracks.

Eisenhauer said the group will talk about economic development aspects of the bill, and local business leaders in the contingency will make that case. He said they also will talk about how important it would be to local skilled laborers with the 500-600 construction jobs a casino is estimated to generate as well as the permanent jobs the gaming facility itself would generate.

Also, he said, they will discuss how Danville has a strong argument from a state perspective, because 65 percent of the projected revenue from a gaming facility would come from Indiana.

"And that by granting a license in our community you are really talking about new dollars, because as you look at the map, it's easy to see we won't be cannibalizing any of the other existing or proposed gaming licenses," he said.

Eisenhauer said he doesn't expect any definitive feedback from the governor or his staff about the legislation and Danville's part in it.

"And I'm very excited about the opportunity to meet on a face-to-face basis to present our case," said Eisenhauer, adding that he and other local officials have had good opportunities to make their case to state legislators as the legislation moved through the process earlier this year. He said he knows the governor's staff monitored and even sat in on some of those proceedings when he and other local officials were making their case for Danville.

"But to have the opportunity to sit down and present it to him personally, I think will only bolster our chances," Eisenhauer said.