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On June 2, the Illinois Senate passed a bill that expands its gaming industry, in part allowing up to six new casinos. Local experts say once the bill is signed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, it’s sure to open new opportunities for gaming companies, including some based in Las Vegas. But with a tax structure that demands far more than Nevada’s, some companies may pass on the chance to move to the Windy City. In 2018, the effective tax rate for the 10 casinos in Illinois was 33.8 percent, including state and local wagering and admission taxes. The new Chicago casino is expected to have a 66 percent effective tax rate. By comparison, Nevada’s tax on gross gaming revenue is between 3.5 percent and 6.75 percent. Analyst Barry Jonas

Former Henderson Constable Earl Mitchell is negotiating … a possible plea in his theft and public misconduct case. The case was prompted by a Las Vegas Review-Journal investigation. The story found that Mitchell wrote himself checks … spent money at casinos and traveled with county funds. A plea hearing is scheduled for July 9.

The Fontainebleau, soaring 60-plus stories above Las Vegas Boulevard, was supposed to open in 2009. Instead it went bankrupt that year. The roughly $3 billion resort was about 70% complete around the time of the bankruptcy. In 2010, billionaire Carl Icahn bought the mothballed tower for just $150 million. Developer Steve Witkoff bought it in 2017 for $600 million, renamed it the Drew Las Vegas and plans to open it in 2022.

The solar industry is bouncing back in the Las Vegas valley, with Nevada toward the top in rankings from The Solar Foundation. There were 6,680 solar jobs in Nevada in 2018. Nevada ranked first for solar jobs per capita. The state saw a 1.8 percent growth in solar jobs last year. Nevada ranked tenth for overall solar jobs. Nevada ranked fourth for the amount of installed solar capacity. 12.72 percent of Nevada’s electricity is generated from solar.

University of Nevada-Las Vegas Dentist George McAlpine … received more than $72,000 a year from College of Southern Nevada … while working his full-time job at UNLV. McAlpine also received nearly $460,000 in profit sharing … that a school attorney determined he didn’t deserve. McAlpine, Dental School Dean Karen West and school officials … declined comment on the payments.