Gov. Pritzker Has Signed HB 3136. Here’s How The Bill Immediately Affects Illinois Sports Betting

On Friday, HB 3136, a bill with significant implications for sports betting in Illinois, was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker.

During the October veto session, the state Senate and House passed the bill. The authors of the bill addressed several important issues with the legislation.

This is how HB 3136 will impact sports bettors and gamblers in Illinois currently and in the forthcoming future.

It is now legal to wager on Illinois college team.

This may sound a bit fanciful and somewhat exciting, but it’s real and sassy. Only in-person betting on college teams in Illinois will be permitted.

To place legal bets on Illinois, Northwestern, Loyola Chicago, etc., you will need to visit a retail sportsbook at a casino, racetrack, or off-track betting facility.

Rep. Michael Zalewski, a long-time advocate for full legalization, views this as a gradual policy move. He believes that the issue of online betting on IL college teams will be reviewed again in two years.

If this sacrifice proves successful without any issues, there should be accelerated momentum for a complete repeal of the ban in 2023.

Immediately, online casino subscription will be available again.

HB 3136 sets the final date for registering for in-person sports betting as March 5, 2022. While the transition back to mobile sign-ups could happen earlier, it will definitely not occur any later than March 5.

The return of in-person registration by Pritzker in early April will coincide perfectly with the betting period for March Madness.

Consequently, only six online sportsbooks exist in Illinois, a state that usually ranks third in the US for monthly sports betting handle. This is a noticeable deviation from the norm as most states where sports betting is legal have sportsbooks in the double digits. Thus, Illinois is currently an anomaly.

Nonetheless, Illinois might have over 10 smart sportsbooks by the end of 2022. For most brands, initiating in a physical membership setting is not a viable option.

The necessity for the end date on March 5 was due to the belief that there would be no bids for an online-only license. The Sports WageringAct specifies that issuing an online-only license prompts a return to remote registration.

During the reject session, lawmakers decided to include this amendment, since it was not an issue when the bill was initially drafted.

Push tax & rsquo, video gaming, and now legal

Even though it doesn’t pertain to the sports betting sector, an amendment to video gaming will still influence the state’s gaming industry.

The legislation HB 3136 authorized a “push tax” on video gaming, which implies that a tax is imposed each time a player uses a video gaming terminal (VGT).

In this case, the press tax is set at one cent per push. A force fee has recently been sanctioned by several municipalities, in line with the associated costs.

The push tax is surrounded by a considerable amount of controversy, primarily because the financial load is borne by the player. Nonetheless, this tax serves as a crucial source of revenue for local governments.