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Neil Bluhm
Neil Bluhm
Neil Bluhm
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Neil Gary Bluhm (born 1938) is an American billionaire real estate and casino magnate. He is a partner of Midwest Gaming & Entertainment, which owns several casinos.[1][2][3] He had an estimated net worth of US$8.6 billion in September 2025.[4]

Key Information

Early life

[edit]

Bluhm was born to a Jewish family in 1938 in Chicago.[4][5] His father left the family when he was 13, and his mother worked as a bookkeeper.[1] He grew up in a cramped apartment near his immigrant grandparents. He attended a high school on Chicago's northwest side.[6]

He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1959, studying accounting, and in 1962, he received a juris doctor degree from Northwestern University.[4][1] In 2009, he received Northwestern's Alumni Medal, the highest honor an alumnus can receive from the university.[7]

Career

[edit]

He started his career as a lawyer and eventually a partner in the Chicago law firm of Mayer, Brown & Platt. In 1969, he co-founded JMB Realty[1] with Judd Malkin, his high school friend and college roommate.[8][6]

In 1994, he co-founded Walton Street Capital, a private equity firm. Soon thereafter, with Greg Carlin, he co-founded Rush Street Gaming.[8]

Bluhm and his children own real estate in Chicago and elsewhere, including 900 North Michigan, Four Seasons Hotel Chicago and Ritz Carlton Hotel Chicago. The family is a minority owner of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox.[9][10]

According to Forbes, he had a net worth of US$7.0 billion in October 2021.[4]

Personal life

[edit]

He is divorced from art collector and philanthropist Barbara Bluhm-Kaul. They have 3 children: Andy Bluhm, who runs hedge fund Delaware Street Capital;[1] Leslie Bluhm, who co-founded Chicago Cares,[1] and recently served as a Director on the Board of AmeriCorps under the Biden administration,[1] and Meredith Bluhm-Wolf, who helps direct the family's business and charitable foundation.[1] He is currently married to Kimberly Paige Bluhm.[11]

He lives in Chicago.[4] In December 2018, he purchased an apartment near Miami for $20 million.[12]

An art patron, he sits on the board of trustees of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Whitney Museum of American Art.[4] He has an art collection worth over $300 million.[4] He sits on the board of trustees of Northwestern University.[13]

Political contributions

[edit]

Bluhm is a Democrat. He hosted President Barack Obama's 49th birthday party, where admission cost a $30,000 donation to the Democratic National Committee.[4][1] He has contributed to the campaigns of Hillary Clinton, Dick Durbin, Melissa Bean, Rahm Emanuel, Lisa Madigan, Rod Blagojevich, Lou Lang, and Michael Madigan.[1] In 2017, Bluhm was criticized after calling in a request to Rahm Emanuel after making a $300,000 contribution.[14]

Philanthropy

[edit]

In 2005, he funded the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute with a $10 million gift.[15]

In 2013, he made a $25 million gift to Northwestern University, including $15 million earmarked for the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.[16]

In 2015, he made a $1 million donation to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.[17]

In 2022, he made a $45 million donation to Northwestern Medicine to establish the Bluhm Heart Hospital.[18]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Neil Bluhm

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Neil Gary Bluhm (born 1938) is an American billionaire real estate developer, casino magnate, philanthropist, and contemporary art collector. Raised in Chicago by a single mother, Bluhm earned a law degree from Northwestern University in 1962 before co-founding JMB Realty Corporation in 1969, which grew into a major player in commercial real estate investments during the late 20th century. Following JMB's challenges in the 1990s, Bluhm pivoted to gaming and hospitality, becoming chairman of Rush Street Gaming and co-founding Midwest Gaming & Entertainment, which operates Rivers Casinos in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New York, alongside ownership of high-profile Chicago properties such as 900 North Michigan Avenue and the Ritz-Carlton Chicago. His business ventures have faced regulatory scrutiny, including a $1.65 million fine levied on Rivers Casino Des Plaines in 2016 after an investigation into organized crime associations among subcontractors. Bluhm's philanthropy emphasizes higher education and healthcare, with transformative gifts to exceeding $100 million, including a $45 million pledge in 2022 to Northwestern Medicine for cardiovascular research and a $25 million endowment for its in 2013. He has also supported through donations like $1 million to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2015 and amassed a personal collection of postwar and contemporary works valued in the hundreds of millions. Bluhm's influence extends to policy advocacy in gaming regulation, where he has lobbied against expansions favoring competitors like and , contributing to protracted legal and legislative battles in .

Early Life and Education

Family Background and Upbringing

Neil Bluhm was born in 1938 to a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois. His father departed the family when Bluhm was 13, after which his mother raised him and his sister alone while working as a bookkeeper to support the household. The family resided in modest circumstances in an apartment above a drugstore near and Lawrence avenues in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood. Bluhm has characterized his upbringing as that of a poor kid from a single-parent home, emphasizing the financial challenges his mother faced in providing for her children.

Academic and Early Professional Training

Bluhm earned a degree in from the University of at Urbana-Champaign in 1959. Following graduation, he obtained certification as a (CPA). He then pursued , receiving a degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 1962. After completing , Bluhm joined the Chicago-based firm Mayer, Brown & Platt (now ) as an attorney. He advanced rapidly within the firm, achieving partnership status by age 31. This early legal practice provided foundational training in corporate and law, which later informed his business endeavors, though Bluhm has expressed limited enthusiasm for sustained legal work.

Business Career

Entry into Law and Real Estate

Bluhm earned a J.D. from School of Law in 1962. Following graduation, he joined the law firm Mayer, Brown & Platt as an attorney, where he advanced to partner during a relatively brief tenure. In 1970, Bluhm left legal practice to co-found Corporation with his University of Illinois roommate Judd Malkin, shifting focus to investment and development. The firm initially targeted syndication of income-producing properties, such as shopping centers and office buildings, leveraging limited partnerships to pool investor capital for acquisitions and developments across the . 's early emphasized high-yield commercial , which fueled rapid expansion in the 1970s amid favorable market conditions for institutional investments.

Expansion into Investments and Development

Bluhm co-founded Corporation in 1970 with Judd Malkin, initially leveraging syndication strategies to acquire and develop commercial properties, which rapidly expanded the firm's portfolio to include urban shopping centers, malls, office towers, luxury hotels, and mixed-use developments. By the mid-1980s, JMB had grown into one of the largest U.S. property owners and developers, managing assets valued at $26 billion across office buildings, retail malls, apartments, and hotels, with notable projects including in , in , and Avenue in , which integrated retail, offices, and a Four Seasons hotel. The early 1990s commercial downturn challenged JMB's syndication model, resulting in substantial losses, such as $340 million in client funds and $85 million in company capital from the 1992 of Randsworth, a U.K. property acquisition financed through Citicorp. Despite these setbacks, market recovery from 1993 enabled strategic repositioning; Bluhm formed Urban Shopping Centers, a in 1993 with a $950 million , holding assets like Chicago's and the Houston Galleria. In 1994, Bluhm co-founded Walton Street Capital, specializing in opportunities, where he served as managing principal and personally invested $100 million into its debut $900 million fund launched in 1995 alongside former JMB executives. Walton Street pursued value-add investments and developments, including ownership of the Galleria complex (encompassing 1.1 million square feet of offices and 907 rooms), a Four Seasons resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, redevelopment of Chicago's 2.5 million-square-foot former post office, and construction of a speculative office building at 550 Van Buren Street, which achieved near-full occupancy. These efforts diversified Bluhm's holdings into institutional capital management while retaining direct stakes in high-profile Chicago properties such as the Ritz-Carlton .

Ventures in Gaming and Casinos

Bluhm entered the gaming industry in the late 1980s through a successful bid to develop and operate Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario, partnering with investment banker Greg Carlin. This collaboration resulted in the formation of Falls Management Company, which managed the property—recognized as Canada's most successful casino until its divestiture in 2019. In the mid-1990s, Bluhm and Carlin co-founded Rush Street Gaming, leveraging Bluhm's real estate expertise to focus on regional casino development and operations across North America. As chairman and founder, Bluhm guided the company's expansion, which included developing six destination casinos, five of which remain under operation: Rivers Casino Des Plaines in the Chicago suburbs (opened July 2011), Rivers Casino Pittsburgh in downtown Pittsburgh (opened August 2009), Rivers Casino Philadelphia (opened September 2010), Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady in New York's Capital Region (opened October 2017), and Rivers Casino Portsmouth in Virginia (opened January 2023). Bluhm also serves as a partner in Midwest Gaming & Entertainment LLC, which holds ownership stakes in key properties like Rivers Casino Des Plaines, contributing to its status as one of Illinois' highest-grossing casinos with substantial slot and table game revenues. Through these ventures, Rush Street Gaming has emphasized urban and suburban locations near major population centers, integrating gaming with hotels, restaurants, and entertainment to drive regional economic impact. In parallel, Bluhm chairs Rush Street Interactive, established in as the online gaming arm, which launched digital and platforms tied to physical operations; the company went public via a reverse merger in 2020, expanding into markets like , , and .

Wealth Accumulation and Holdings

Net Worth Trajectory

Neil Bluhm's has exhibited steady long-term growth since he first entered billionaire rankings, driven primarily by value appreciation in holdings, private equity returns from Walton Street Capital, and expansions in the gaming sector through Midwest Gaming & Entertainment. In 2006, estimated his fortune at $1.4 billion, stemming from self-made successes in real estate syndication via and early investments. By the mid-2010s, this had roughly doubled to around $2.6 billion, reflecting compounded gains from property developments in and beyond, though exact annual figures prior to consistent tracking remain sparse. A significant acceleration occurred in the late and early , fueled by the 2020 public listing of Rush Street Interactive via reverse merger and operational expansions of Rivers Casinos in multiple states. reported a $2.4 billion increase in 2021 alone, elevating his net worth to $6.4 billion by October of that year, amid booming revenues and real estate market recovery post-financial crisis. Subsequent years showed some volatility—dipping to $5.5 billion in early 2022 Illinois rankings amid broader market pressures—but rebounded sharply, reaching $6.3 billion by late 2024 and climbing to $7.2 billion by April 2025. As of October 26, 2025, real-time estimates place Bluhm's net worth at $8.4 billion, ranking him #419 globally, with primary drivers including minority stakes in the and White Sox, ongoing casino profitability, and premium urban properties like Avenue. This trajectory underscores causal links between strategic pivots—such as shifting from syndication to post-JMB's challenges and entering gaming in the —and sustained wealth compounding, outpacing and market averages without reliance on inheritance or speculative tech booms.
YearEstimated Net Worth (USD)Key Factors Noted
2006$1.4 billionEarly syndication gains via
2014$2.6 billionProperty portfolio expansion
2021$6.4 billion growth and $2.4B yearly increase
2022$5.5 billionMarket dip in assessment
2025 (Oct)$8.4 billion, gaming, sports stakes

Major Assets and Investments

Bluhm's primary assets stem from Corporation, which he co-founded in 1969 and has served as president since 1968, encompassing luxury hotels, office buildings, mixed-use projects, and land for development across major U.S. cities. Key holdings include the office-retail tower and the Ritz-Carlton Chicago hotel in downtown , both marquee properties contributing to his fortune. JMB's historical portfolio also featured high-profile developments such as in and in . In 1994, Bluhm co-founded Walton Street Capital, a specializing in value-add, opportunistic, core-plus, and debt strategies, where he serves as managing principal. The firm manages investments in commercial properties, including efforts to divest assets like the 401 N. Michigan Avenue office tower in as of 2024. Bluhm's gaming investments center on Rush Street Gaming, which he co-founded and chairs, having developed six regional casinos in , including Rivers Casino Des Plaines in , Rivers Casino Pittsburgh in , and Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady in New York. He also chairs Rush Street Interactive, the online gaming arm that went public via SPAC merger in 2020; as of January 2021, Bluhm held a 54% stake valued at $2.3 billion. Additional investments include a minority stake in the NBA's basketball team and the MLB's [Chicago White Sox](/page/Chicago White Sox) baseball team. Bluhm is also managing partner of LAMB Capital Advisors, though specific holdings details remain private. These assets underpin his estimated $8.4 billion net worth as of October 26, 2025.

Art Collecting and Cultural Impact

Development of the Collection

Bluhm commenced assembling his art collection in the late , initially concentrating on and contemporary American and European works. This focus aligned with his rising prominence in business, enabling acquisitions of high-profile pieces by established artists. The collection's evolution emphasized blue-chip names, including and , reflecting a strategic emphasis on market-recognized modern masters rather than emerging talents. By the 2010s, it had matured into a substantial private holding, bolstered by Bluhm's advisory roles at institutions like the of American Art, though specific purchase timelines remain undisclosed in . Key developments included selective expansions that prioritized aesthetic and investment value, with no reported deaccessions or shifts in focus toward other periods or media. This measured approach has sustained the collection's coherence, distinguishing it from more speculative contemporary assemblages.

Contributions to Museums and Exhibitions

Neil Bluhm has served as a trustee of the for more than a , including as a member of its Trustee Real Estate Committee, before becoming trustee emeritus. He has also held leadership positions at the of American Art, including as board president, co-chair, and active trustee, contributing to its governance and strategic direction. In 2019, the awarded him its Corporate Art Award, recognizing his sustained support for contemporary art institutions. Through personal and family , Bluhm donated $1 million to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in to establish the Bluhm Family Scholarship Fund for need-based student aid, bolstering the educational arm affiliated with the Art Institute. The Bluhm Family Charitable Foundation, which he supports, has provided over $15 million in grants to the , including a $2.5 million unrestricted gift, enabling expansions such as the naming of the Neil Bluhm Family Galleries on the museum's fifth floor, used for major installations and exhibitions like the . Bluhm's foundation has furthered exhibition programming at the as a participant in its Exhibitions Trust and Luminary Trust, providing annual funding for shows such as —From A to B and Back Again (2018–2019) and Monet and (2020–2021). It granted $101,619 to the in 2023 to advance its exempt purposes, including exhibitions. These contributions underscore Bluhm's role in sustaining institutional operations and public access to art displays without evidence of conditional restrictions tied to ideological agendas.

Philanthropic Activities

Support for Education and Medicine

Bluhm, a Law School alumnus, has directed significant philanthropic resources toward enhancing at his . In December 2013, he and the Bluhm Family Charitable Foundation committed $25 million to the university, allocating $15 million to endow the Bluhm and expand its clinical training programs, and $7 million to support construction of the Pritzker School of Law building. The foundation has further backed Northwestern's educational efforts, including programs in its music school, school of medicine, and . Bluhm's contributions to medical institutions center on advancing cardiovascular treatment at Northwestern Medicine, where he serves on the board of the Northwestern Memorial Foundation. In 2005, he founded the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute with an initial $10 million commitment to elevate specialized heart care. This was followed by a $25 million donation in June 2018 from the Bluhm Family Charitable Foundation to establish a dedicated center for complex cardiovascular conditions within the institute. In February 2022, Bluhm and the foundation provided a landmark $45 million gift to create the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Heart Hospital, integrating advanced inpatient facilities for cardiac patients at . These investments reflect a sustained focus on empirical improvements in clinical outcomes and educational training in high-stakes medical fields.

Arts and Community Initiatives

Through the Bluhm Family Charitable Foundation, established in 2007, Neil Bluhm has directed significant philanthropic resources toward arts organizations, with a primary emphasis on Chicago-based institutions that promote cultural access and education. The foundation's grants support exhibitions, scholarships, and programs fostering artistic development, including ongoing contributions to the for specific exhibitions such as "Go: The Modern Series, Part II" in 2017. In a notable example, the Bluhm family donated $1 million to the School of the to create the Bluhm Family Scholarship Fund, providing need-based financial aid to students and enabling broader participation in arts education. The foundation has also granted funds to Marwen, a nonprofit offering free instruction to underserved high school students, including $150,000 in 2013 for program expansion. These efforts reflect a commitment to nurturing emerging talent and sustaining cultural infrastructure, earning Bluhm recognition from institutions like the of American Art, which honored him in 2017 for philanthropy advancing American artists. Bluhm's community initiatives, channeled via the same foundation, extend to human services and voluntarism in the Chicago metropolitan area, supporting organizations that address local welfare needs alongside arts programming. In 2023, the foundation disbursed $12,773,283 in grants, with allocations to human services groups promoting community engagement and support services, though specific recipients remain selectively disclosed as the foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. This targeted approach prioritizes established partners in Chicago, aligning with Bluhm's background in the city and focus on voluntarism-driven outcomes over broad programmatic intervention.

Political Involvement

Campaign Donations and Affiliations

Neil Bluhm has primarily directed his political contributions to Democratic candidates, committees, and PACs over multiple election cycles, with federal records showing donations exceeding millions since the early 2000s. Early examples include $10,000 to Barack Obama's 2004 campaign and $2,300 to his 2008 presidential bid, alongside $1,000 to Rahm Emanuel's 2002 campaign and contributions to the (DCCC) dating back to 1994. In 2021, he donated $5,800 to Sen. Chuck Schumer's campaign committee. These patterns reflect a consistent alignment with Democratic priorities, though some contributions have supported gaming industry interests across states. In the 2024 election cycle, Bluhm emerged as one of Illinois' largest Democratic donors, contributing approximately $3.5 million to national Democratic entities alongside his daughter Leslie Bluhm. Key recipients included $1 million to Future Forward PAC (a major Democratic super PAC supporting Kamala Harris), over $970,000 to the Harris Victory Fund, and $300,000 to the House Majority PAC. He also backed vulnerable Democratic senators such as Sherrod Brown, Bob Casey, and Jon Tester amid efforts to retain the Senate majority. At the state level, Bluhm's gaming interests prompted significant giving, including $550,000 to top Pennsylvania legislators in support of casino expansion legislation in 2025, marking him as the largest single donor in that push. Bluhm's affiliations center on Democratic networks, including bundling efforts for Joe Biden's 2020 campaign, though he has not held formal party roles. His donations have occasionally intersected with advocacy, such as seeking regulatory favors post-contributions to Mayor Rahm Emanuel's campaigns, but federal data indicates no substantial Republican recipients. tracks confirm over 100 individual contributions, predominantly to Democrats, underscoring a partisan tilt despite Bluhm's public defense of free-market .

Advocacy for Free-Market Principles

Bluhm has publicly defended as the foundation of American success, emphasizing , risk-taking, and over critiques of wealth inequality. In a 2021 at the Invest For Kids conference, he expressed discomfort with the label of , likening it to being viewed as a "criminal," while attributing economic disparities partly to policies like low interest rates that inflated asset values, rather than individual fault. He argued that personal achievements stem from "taking chances, getting educated, going into ," portraying this as core to America's promise of opportunity. Bluhm highlighted the societal benefits of free-market outcomes, citing Amazon as a "fantastic thing" that advances the country and world through private initiative. Despite identifying as a Democrat, he voiced concern over growing anti-wealth sentiment that demonizes such success, warning it undermines the incentives driving . His own ventures exemplify this view: through Rush Street Gaming, his companies generate substantial —described as making governments "partners" via percentages of gross revenue—and create thousands of high-paying jobs, such as 10,000 positions across his casinos. These statements reflect Bluhm's broader alignment with free-market principles, prioritizing voluntary exchange, private investment, and minimal vilification of profit motives, even amid political donations leaning Democratic.

Personal Life

Family and Relationships

Neil Bluhm was married to Barbara Bluhm-Kaul, an art collector and philanthropist, until their divorce. The couple has three children: sons Andy Bluhm and daughters Leslie Bluhm and Meredith Bluhm-Wolf. Andy Bluhm manages the Delaware Street Capital and has invested in gaming operations. Bluhm remarried Kimberly Paige Bluhm, whom he met on a in . Kimberly Bluhm is active in , focusing on arts accessibility and community initiatives. The couple divides time between residences in and . No children from this marriage are publicly documented.

Lifestyle and Residences

Bluhm maintains his primary residence in , , where he has long been based amid his business operations in and gaming. In December 2018, he acquired a luxury condominium at the Four Seasons Residences at the Surf Club in , for $20 million, marking one of several high-end properties associated with his portfolio. Bluhm and his wife, Kimberly Paige Bluhm, purchased a unit at Palazzo Villas in , in September 2020 for $7.4 million, further indicating a preference for coastal retreats alongside his Midwestern base. These residences align with an affluent yet relatively private lifestyle, focused on family, art patronage, and selective rather than public ostentation, consistent with his professional emphasis on long-term investments over .

Controversies and Criticisms

Disputes in the Gaming Industry

In 2013, Midwest Gaming & Entertainment LLC, the operator of Rivers in , and chaired by Neil Bluhm, filed a against Cook to block a newly enacted tax of $1,000 per and $200 per video gambling terminal, arguing it violated the Constitution and the Riverboat Gambling Act. The tax, approved in November 2012 as part of a $3 billion county , was projected to cost Rivers Casino approximately $1 million annually given its roughly 1,000 gambling devices. An appellate court upheld the tax in August 2015, and the Supreme Court affirmed the decision later that year, requiring payment of about $3 million in back taxes. In April 2011, minority investors Richard Sprague and Robert Potamkin filed suit in Chancery Court against Bluhm, the majority owner of SugarHouse Casino in , and his partners, alleging they were excluded from decision-making on scaling back the casino's expansion plans and reducing planned borrowing amounts. The dispute centered on and minority shareholder rights under entities registered in . No public resolution of this specific suit was reported, though related efforts by the same investors to block a second casino license in 2013–2014 failed, with courts dismissing their claims in June 2014. Bluhm and Rush Street Gaming, through its BetRivers brand, have engaged in prolonged regulatory and legislative conflicts with sports betting operators and in , stemming from efforts to protect market share following the 2018 legalization of sports wagering. The tensions trace to a 2015 ruling deeming (DFS) as gambling, which and challenged successfully in court by 2020, fueling Bluhm's push in 2019 legislation for an 18-month delay in their sports betting entry and a $20 million license fee for digital-only operators, alongside requirements for in-person registration that favored land-based s. and circumvented much of this by acquiring physical partnerships, such as with Casino Queen, shortening the effective delay to two months. Subsequent 2023–2024 tax hikes, including a tiered 20–40% rate and a proposed $0.25–$0.50 per bet levy, increased burdens on online operators (adding ~$70 million annually each) while raising Rush Street's taxes by $5 million in 2023 and $3.3 million in 2024; these measures, influenced by lobbying, prompted and to impose customer surcharges starting September 2024. No formal lawsuits have ensued from these tax changes, though potential challenges remain possible.

Scrutiny of Business Practices

In 2015, the Gaming Board initiated an investigation into in Des Plaines, operated by Rush Street Gaming—a company chaired by Neil Bluhm—after reports surfaced that the casino had contracted with United Service Companies for services prior to its 2011 opening and for deep cleaning from July 2011 to May 2015. The contractor's principal, "Rick" Simon, had documented associations with individuals linked to , including partnerships with reputed mob figures such as Daddano Jr. in 2012 and prior ties to , a convicted felon with mob connections who died in 1996. Although Simon denied any involvement, Illinois gaming regulations prohibit associations with "notorious or unsavory" persons, prompting scrutiny over the casino's vetting processes. Rivers terminated the contract on May 6, 2015, following inquiries from the Better Government Association, and retained attorney Patrick Collins to manage the response, but the probe highlighted potential lapses in for vendor selection. The matter culminated in a $1.65 million fine levied by the Gaming Board in August 2015 and paid by Rush Street in January 2016, specifically for employing the contractor despite the owner's admitted mob associations. This penalty was disclosed to the Gaming Commission during Rush Street's pursuit of a license for its affiliate, Massachusetts Gaming and Entertainment, raising questions about the firm's compliance standards across jurisdictions. No license revocation occurred in , but the incident underscored regulatory oversight of business partner selections in the gaming sector, where Bluhm's oversight role as chairman drew indirect attention to . Bluhm's gaming ventures have also faced criticism for aggressive lobbying tactics in sports betting markets, particularly in Illinois, where Rush Street pushed for policies disadvantaging competitors like FanDuel and DraftKings. Stemming from resentment over the 2015 classification of daily fantasy sports as illegal gambling—which Bluhm viewed as enabling rivals' dominance—Rush Street advocated for an initial three-year exclusion of these firms from sports betting, securing instead an 18-month delay, a $20 million license fee (a 300% increase), and tiered taxes escalating to 40% plus per-bet surcharges of $0.25 to $0.50. Critics, including the Sports Betting Alliance, labeled these measures discriminatory and potentially unconstitutional, arguing they distorted competition and passed costs to consumers while inadvertently boosting state revenues—FanDuel and DraftKings contributed $286 million in taxes (80% of the total) over 12 months despite the barriers. Bluhm's deployment of politically connected lobbyists, backed by significant donations, amplified perceptions of market incumbents leveraging influence to erect barriers, though such advocacy remained within legal bounds. In , Bluhm's early career with drew attention for substantial financial setbacks, including the 1989 acquisition of Randsworth, a property firm, which filed for in 1992 amid recessionary pressures and creditor actions by Citicorp, resulting in losses of $340 million in client funds and $85 million in JMB's capital. Described as an embarrassing episode amid JMB's broader struggles, the deal exemplified risks in international leveraged investments but did not lead to formal regulatory actions or lawsuits, instead prompting Bluhm to pivot toward more conservative strategies post-dissolution of JMB in the mid-.

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  40. https://mcachicago.org/calendar/2019/05/mca-corporate-art-award
  41. https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150902/BLOGS03/150909963/school-of-art-institute-gets-1-million-gifts-from-neil-bluhm-holly-hunt
  42. https://www.causeiq.com/directory/grants/grants-for-art-museums/
  43. https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/2937/andy-warhol-from-a-to-b-and-back-again
  44. https://www.artic.edu/articles/864/the-first-city-chicago-collectors-and-monet
  45. https://www.grantmakers.io/profiles/v0/261572776-bluhm-family-charitable-foundation
  46. https://magazine.nm.org/2025/02/24/legacy-of-complex-care-bluhm-at-20-years/
  47. https://news.nm.org/northwestern-medicine-receives-transformative-25-million-gift-from-the-bluhm-family-charitable-foundation/
  48. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/bluhm-family-foundation-gives-25-million-for-cardiovascular-institute
  49. https://news.giving.northwestern.edu/2022/02/landmark-gift-creates-northwestern-medicine-bluhm-heart-hospital.html
  50. https://dailynorthwestern.com/2022/02/17/campus/bluhm-family-foundation-donates-45-million-to-establish-northwestern-medicine-bluhm-heart-hospital/
  51. https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/2640/go-the-modern-series-part-ii
  52. https://fconline.foundationcenter.org/fdo-grantmaker-profile/?key=BLUH003
  53. https://littlesis.org/org/163863-Bluhm_Family_Charitable_Foundation
  54. https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a9905596/whitney-museum-neil-bluhm/
  55. https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/bluhm-family-charitable-foundation
  56. https://www.opensecrets.org/search?order=desc&q=neil%2Bbluhm&sort=N&type=donors
  57. https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?cand=barack%2Bobama&order=desc&page=2&sort=A
  58. https://www.opensecrets.org/search?order=asc&page=2&q=neil%2Bbluhm&sort=A&type=donors
  59. https://nycgazette.com/charles-e-schumers-campaign-committee-receives-5800-from-neil-g-bluhm/
  60. https://news.wttw.com/2024/08/19/dnc-hits-chicago-who-are-illinois-biggest-democratic-donors
  61. https://www.mcall.com/2025/03/25/powerful-interests-poured-18m-into-top-pa-lawmakers-campaign-coffers/
  62. https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2020/11/1/21545212/the-inside-story-on-gov-pritzker-othertop-illinois-political-donors-joe-biden-bundlers-whos-who
  63. https://illinoisanswers.org/2017/01/09/rahm-emails-show-casino-chief-sought-help-after-family-contributed-to-mayor/
  64. https://www.chicagobusiness.com/residential-real-estate/daughter-billionaire-neil-bluhm-puts-winnetka-home-market
  65. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2015/03/16/son-of-billionaire-casino-magnate-neil-bluhm-invests-in-competitor/
  66. https://www.mannpublications.com/mannabouttown/2024/08/20/kimberly-paige-leading-with-kindness/
  67. https://palmerpb.com/2024/11/06/kimberly-bluhm/
  68. https://www.chicagobusiness.com/residential-real-estate/neil-bluhm-buys-20-million-florida-condo
  69. https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130628/CRED03/130629782/rivers-casino-owner-sues-to-block-county-gambling-tax
  70. https://www.law360.com/articles/694545/ill-appeals-court-upholds-cook-county-slot-machine-tax
  71. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2016/01/04/state-supreme-court-ruling-means-casino-owes-cook-county-3-million/
  72. https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/philadelphia-investors-suing-sugarhouse-casinos-top-partner/
  73. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/investors-lose-bid-to-prevent-2nd-philly-casino/93026/
  74. https://illinoisanswers.org/2015/05/21/mob-questions-surface-over-casino-contractor/
  75. https://www.politico.com/states/massachusetts/story/2016/04/brockton-casino-developer-pays-165m-fine-to-illinois-gaming-board-033383
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