Illinois has more gambling options than most states in the Midwest. While long confined to riverboats, it became relatively easy through the years to meet the requirements of being deemed a “boat” and opening a casino.
When JB Pritzker won the governorship in 2018, his stances in favor of gambling expansion presented hope that the state would approve sports betting and igaming. Pritzker even announced that “expanded legal gambling and sports betting” would be in his first budget proposal alongside recreational marijuana. Previous igaming supporters like State Representative Robert Rita were in line to be potential bill sponsors for igaming, as he was one who had sponsored such legislative proposals in the past.
And then…nothing happened. The focus turned to sports betting.
By the summer of 2019, Governor Pritzker signed a bill into law to officially legalize sports betting.
Not only did igaming hit the sidelines, it stayed there until 2023 with a brief interlude for a 2021 bill from Rep. Rita. That bill died a quick death.
New Bill, Who Dis?
January sped by with no igaming bill in Illinois, but that all changed in early February. On the 8th, companion bills went live in the 103rd General Assembly.
Illinois State Senator Cristina Castro introduced SB1656, the Internet Gaming Act. And on the other side of the legislature, Representative Edgar Gonzalez Jr. filed HB2239 by the same name. They are companion bills that read the same.
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The bill has a clear synopsis that includes all pertinent details of the detailed bill in a few bullet points. The primary goal is as follows:
“Creates the Internet Gaming Act. Authorizes an internet gaming operator to offer internet gaming in accordance with the provisions of the Act.”
That is the concept at its most basic, while some of the details are:
-Any internet gaming provider with a license can offer no more than three skins.-The issuance of licenses will consider diversity goals in procurement and spending by licensees.-Operators will pay a 15% privilege tax to the State Gaming Fund.
In order to speed up the process, the bills also authorize the adoption of emergency rules so the process to launch sites can move along quickly after making necessary changes to the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.
Senate Bill on the Move
The House bill had its first reading on February 8 and went to the Rules Committee, where it has yet to move.
The Senate bill, on the other hand, went to the Senate Assignments Committee after its first reading. Less than one week later, it was assigned to the Executive Committee. It is no coincidence that Castro, the bill’s sponsor, is the Chair of that committee. While she – as a Democrat – has a majority in the committee, this doesn’t indicate any type of good will toward igaming, as the issue has been shown across the United States to have both bipartisan support and opposition.
Currently, the Executive Committee shows dozens of bills on its docket and no hearing on the schedule. When the committee does set a hearing date, Castro will try to ensure a reasonable amount of time be given to the Internet Gaming Act.
Online Poker Included
It isn’t always a given that igaming bills will include online poker, though most of them do. The Illinois bills certainly do.
In the definition of “internet game,” slot machines and table games are listed alongside poker.
The Illinois bills will use geolocation to restrict igaming to people located within the state. However, the bills do authorize the Illinois Gaming Board to enter into agreements with other states and jurisdictions to share “approved internet games, including, but not limited to, poker.” This leaves room for progressive jackpot slots to operate across state lines, as lotteries do, but it calls out poker because that is the game that has shown the need for multi-state action. Online poker attracts many more players when the states connect their sites and allow more players to compete against each other.
