During a last flurry of passing bills, the Illinois Legislature passed a measure that expands the hiring pool for Illinois casinos. This news is particularly significant as several new casinos are coming to The Prairie State.
Both the state Senate and state House have passed Senate Bill 1462. The bill widens the state’s potential workforce pool of hospitality industry employees to include those with felony convictions.
Some may see this as a controversial decision by lawmakers. However, it can increase the pool of potential hospitality industry employees.
Expenses allows potential casino workers with criminal offences to work non-gaming positions
The Illinois House of Representatives agreed to pass SB 1462 last week. It was a busy week for the state legislature ahead of the Memorial Day Weekend.
The bill had previously passed through the Senate in March with a vote of 44-12. The measure includes an amendment that would make prospective employees with a felony conviction eligible to receive an occupational license from the Illinois Gaming Board for non-gaming positions in casinos.
Additionally, the amendment gives the IGB discretion to review each potential licensee. The board can deny an occupational license to anyone with a record that threatens the state’s public interests or the security and integrity of gaming. The IGB will consider factors such as the length of time since the conviction, the number of convictions, and the severity of the charges, among other factors, during the review.
The measure passed out of the House Gaming Committee with a 13-3 vote after it was noted that labor unions and the IGB were in support of the bill. After little discussion on the floor, the concurrence vote broke 78-27 in favor of passing. State Senator Robert Peters, D-Chicago, initially introduced the bill. Peters stated that the bill will open doors to good jobs. The measure now heads to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk for a signature. No word yet on when he expects to sign the bill into law.
An additional amendment towards the Sports Betting Act stores
We’ve been following a series of online IL gambling bills moving through the state Legislature. One of them was Senate Bill 0323.
Under the Sports Wagering Act (SWA), signed into law by Gov. Pritzker in 2019, applicants owed a nonrefundable license and application fee of $150,000 payable to the IGB. Currently, these initial licenses are valid for four years before the license holder would have to pay an additional $150,000 annually to maintain them.
SB 0323 would reduce the renewal amount to $50,000, while the licenses would still last four years. State Sen. Cristina Castro said the bill addressed a drafting error in the SWA.
The bill ended up passing in the Senate but stalled in the House Rules Committee. It appears to be a bill that fell through the cracks and dropped down the lawmakers’ priority list. However, there is still a chance that a similar bill could come up during next year’s legislative session.
C. M. Pierre is indeed the lead writer at Perform Illinois. They’ve been covering news and sports for over a decade, both online and on television. He grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota and is a graduate of Minnesota State College: Moorhead. He has recently become passionate about tribal casinos and online gambling information. Additionally, he covered a specific launch related to sports betting in Arizona.
