In a last-ditch effort, lawmakers in Springfield have passed two crucial bills. One bill impacts Illinois online gambling, extending live betting on in-state college teams at retail sportsbooks for another year. The other bill removes the requirement for Illinois sportsbooks to provide hourly pop-up messages informing gamblers of their wagered amounts. Instead, the bill now includes language to introduce new Illinois Lottery games.
Several online gambling and problem gambling bills have been making their way through the Illinois Legislature in the past few months. However, only two of them appear to be heading to Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk before the end of the year’s legislative session.
Illinois issue gambling costs altered to increase Illinois Lotto passes right after busy 7 days
Senate Bill 1508 went on a rollercoaster ride over the past few days before being passed in both the State Senate and State House. Initially, the bill included a provision that required Illinois sportsbooks to display a pop-up message after every 10 online bets, informing the player of their total wagered amount.
The pop-up message would have included links and phone numbers for Illinois problem gambling resources, making it easily accessible for individuals struggling with problem gambling to seek help. This version of the bill passed the Senate without any opposition and was sent to the House after a unanimous 54-0 vote.
However, a House amendment completely removed the original text of the bill and replaced it with provisions allowing for the issuance of several new lottery scratch-off games aimed at benefiting charities and community groups.
The new language permits the Illinois Lottery to issue a maximum of 10 specialty scratch-off games, with the net revenues from these games being equally distributed among the designated causes they support.
The bill was passed by the House on May 19 with a vote of 78-30. Although the bill had already passed in the Senate, a subsequent vote on Wednesday approved the House’s amendments.
It is likely that Governor Pritzker will sign this bill into law. However, it no longer includes any provisions related to addressing problem gambling issues in the state.
Betting upon in-state educational institutions extended another year
Meanwhile, a bill has been passed that extends betting on in-state colleges for another season. SB0089 allows bettors to place pre-game and live wagers on Illinois colleges through the 2023-24 season.
We haven’t discussed SB0089 much because it didn’t initially pertain to sports wagering. It was only last week that Representative Bob Rita submitted an amendment to the bill, adding the extension. The legislation covering these wagers was set to expire on July 1.
This bill is different from HB4041, which would allow Illinois online sportsbooks to accept wagers for sports events involving an Illinois college team, as long as the bet is a tier one wager and not related to an individual athlete’s performance. That bill is currently stalled in the House Rules Committee.
The belief is that SB0089 serves as a placeholder, giving lawmakers another year to work out the details of allowing online sportsbooks to accept wagers on in-state colleges.
Some other online gambling expenses are not shifting
The bills that would allow legal Illinois online casinos, namely HB2239 and HB2320, have not seen any progress in the past couple of weeks. HB2239, which was re-referred to the House Rules Committee in mid-March, has remained stagnant. HB2320 has been stuck in the Rules Committee since February 14, the same day it was introduced by State Representative Jonathan Carroll.
Similarly, the Senate version of the Internet Gaming Act, SB1655, has also hit a roadblock. Introduced by State Senator Cristina Castro on February 8, the bill has not moved forward from the Senate Executive Committee, where Castro serves as the chairwoman.
Mr. J. has a background as a reporter and videographer, and throughout his career, he has covered high school, college, and professional sporting events. Most notably, he has followed the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Vikings, and North Dakota State college football.
