Sierra Kennedy | SportsBettingInIllinois.com https://www.sportsbettinginillinois.com Mon, 14 Dec 2020 18:30:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7 https://www.sportsbettinginillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/favicon-1.png Sierra Kennedy | SportsBettingInIllinois.com https://www.sportsbettinginillinois.com 32 32 Illinois Special Session Stalling On iGaming, DFS Bill https://www.sportsbettinginillinois.com/illinois-online-gambling-looking-less-likely-as-session-ends.html https://www.sportsbettinginillinois.com/illinois-online-gambling-looking-less-likely-as-session-ends.html#respond Thu, 06 Jul 2017 18:13:35 +0000 https://www.sportsbettinginillinois.com/?p=437 Governor Calls Special Session, Illinois Legislation Still Dragging Feet On Several Issues, Including iGaming During this year’s legislative session, the Senate was able to pass a bill that legalized online gambling and Daily Fantasy Sports at the last moment. The bill was delivered to the House but appeared dead in the water as the legislative bodies adjourned ... Read more

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Governor Calls Special Session, Illinois Legislation Still Dragging Feet On Several Issues, Including iGaming

During this year’s legislative session, the Senate was able to pass a bill that legalized online gambling and Daily Fantasy Sports at the last moment. The bill was delivered to the House but appeared dead in the water as the legislative bodies adjourned for the year. But thanks to Governor Bruce Rauner, a special session was convened because Illinois has yet to approve a budget. During this special session, House Committee members met to discuss whether action should be taken on the new bill.

The bill, HB 479, is sponsored by Representative Michael Zalewski and Senators Kwame Raoul, Dave Syverson, Steve Stadelman, Pat McGuire, and Napoleon Harris. The Senate passed the bill 42-10 during the regular session, and HB 479 was delivered to the House Executive Committee.

It is this committee which is reviewing the future of online gambling in the state. The bill proposes to license and regulate online casinos and Daily Fantasy Sports sites under the Illinois Gaming Board. Licenses would cost a flat $10 million, with a 15% tax on revenue bringing in regular funds to the state.

If the bill is passed and sent to the Governor’s desk, an influx of as much as $300 million in revenue can be expected for Illinois’ economy.

While legislators in Illinois have been flirting with the idea of legalized DFS for some time now, they really haven’t been talking about iGaming at all. Which is why it seems like the push for online gambling in the state is coming out of left field. The Chicago Tribune touched on the topic, noting that it was probably more of a strategic move than anything else. “Including internet games was a move designed to bring on board casino operators, who view fantasy sports as competition but have long wanted to break into the online gambling space,” writes Tribune Staff Writer Kim Geiger.

Unfortunately, the bill seems to be a low priority for lawmakers, as they pushed the hearing back three times before finally hearing testimony from Poker Players’ Alliance and others. The Committee adjourned without taking any action. While the bill does have until the end of the week (June 30th) to be voted on during this Special Session, it looks as though it’s going to be passed up yet again.

“We’re just going to continue to try to work through things and see what happens,” said Representative Zalewski. “I think the pressure is light, but we want to keep it in the conversation.”

Most of Illinois’ reluctance to vote on this measure stems from its inability to pass a budget. Legalizing iGaming, as well as DFS in the state, would create hundreds of millions in economic relief, but that thought apparently hasn’t crossed the legislators’ minds. Until such a time as the legislation comes to its senses, residents will have to just wait and see. DFS can still be accessed through DraftKings and FanDuel, and sports betting in Illinois can continue through the use of legal sports betting sites that are located overseas.

The post Illinois Special Session Stalling On iGaming, DFS Bill first appeared on SportsBettingInIllinois.com.]]> https://www.sportsbettinginillinois.com/illinois-online-gambling-looking-less-likely-as-session-ends.html/feed 0 Last-Minute Push For Legalized Fantasy Sports In Illinois https://www.sportsbettinginillinois.com/last-minute-push-for-legalized-fantasy-sports-in-illinois.html https://www.sportsbettinginillinois.com/last-minute-push-for-legalized-fantasy-sports-in-illinois.html#respond Sun, 07 May 2017 18:11:23 +0000 https://www.sportsbettinginillinois.com/?p=432 After the topic of daily fantasy sports was kept under lock and key during the majority of the General Assembly’s session, it caught many lawmakers by surprise when three DFS bills were brought to the table just two days before its scheduled recess. Read The Legislation IL SB 208 would legalize online gambling in the ... Read more

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After the topic of daily fantasy sports was kept under lock and key during the majority of the General Assembly’s session, it caught many lawmakers by surprise when three DFS bills were brought to the table just two days before its scheduled recess.

Read The Legislation

IL SB 208 would legalize online gambling in the state along with daily fantasy sports. Players over 21 would be permitted to join DFS sites. Illinois casino operators would be required to pay a $10 million licensing fee should they want to offer online gambling, and there would be a flat 15% tax rate on gaming revenue.

Read The Legislation

Read The Legislation

IL SB 1805 amends the Riverboat Gambling Act while IL SB 1667 amends the Title Insurance Act. Both of these amendments include daily fantasy sports regulations and would put the Illinois Gaming Board in charge of overseeing DFS. The two bills have already passed the House Rules Committee and are working their way through the House Executive Committee.

Why The Sudden Push For Online Gambling & DFS?

The issue of daily fantasy sports is nothing new to the state of Illinois. In 2015, Representative Michael Zalewski began to advocate for DFS in the state. Shortly after, State Attorney General Lisa Madigan told DFS companies FanDuel and DraftKings that they would have to stop accepting Illinois players unless the legislator legalized daily fantasy contests. The duo disputed the warning in court, but have since remained in the Illinois market. This ongoing legal battle is likely one of the reasons behind the proposed pieces of legislation.

Rivers Casino has also been vocal about their opposition to regulating DFS, but have huge proponents of legalizing online gambling within Illinois. Rivers has supported recent legalization efforts in PA and is already licensed for online gaming in New Jersey. Paul Gaynor, of parent company Midwest Gaming & Entertainment, had the following to say regarding the bills currently working their way through the House.

“We support a strong comprehensive internet gaming bill — not piecemeal — that would allow for numerous games to be fairly and safely played online, while providing significant tax revenue for the state.”

Judging from Gaynor and the overall attitude represented by Illinois Casino Gaming Association, the proposed bills could be seen as a way to meet in the middle. By giving the industry the legalized online gambling that they seek, it could possibly soften their stance on daily fantasy sports.

"There was controversy last year as to why are we regulating daily fantasy sports activity, which is ongoing in the state, and not regulating internet gaming, which is also occurring," said Senator Kwame Raoul. "So what this bill attempts to do is also regulate and bring licensure and supervision of internet gaming under the jurisdiction of the Gaming Board.”

The DFS Outlook In Illinois

The state has been down this road before, with a prior DFS bill failing in 2016. There is no clear indication yet as to whether or not any of the bills will continue to move forward, but with 2 million players from Illinois already participating in fantasy sports contests - per the Fantasy Sports Trade Association - it seems that residents will be able to enjoy sports betting in Illinois no matter which way the coin flips.

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