Illinois Moves Closer to Launch with Sports Betting Application Release

Despite the uncertainty of when legal sports betting will launch in Illinois, the day is drawing nearer. Recent updates regarding sports betting in Illinois address two significant issues.

Applications for licenses are now officially available, as declared by the Illinois Gaming Board. They have also implemented new emergency rules.

Breaking down the two Illinois sports betting updates

These two developments were concurrent as they are essential to each other. Without the other, each would be purposeless individually.

The application forms for licenses necessitate the implementation of emergency rules. On the flip side, these emergency rules require justification, which is supplied by the license applications.

The majority of the emergency rules for legal sports betting in Illinois dictate requirements for license holders. Some of these rules include:

• Definitions of terms utilized in the applications.
• List of roles that must be filled by license holders.
• Explanation of the variations among different licenses.
• Revealing all ownership shares.

While the majority of the principles are standard and noncontroversial within the industry, one area sparks debate. The emergency regulations touch on the matter of licensees assisting with investigations conducted by sports governing bodies.

Emergency rules favor leagues regarding sportsbook information

This can be exemplified by the recent suspension of Josh Shaw by the NFL. These rules offer a protocol for the league to handle situations where they suspect future NFL players of betting on NFL games at a legal sportsbook in Illinois.

The NFL has the ability to request information about bets made with a certain sportsbook. However, the final decision to either reject or grant this request, either partially or completely, lies with the sportsbook operator.

Should the sportsbook operator refuse the request, it may not necessarily mark the end of the matter. The IGB, according to the rules, has the power to overrule the operator if it deems that the state’s interest in doing so is strong enough.

If that’s the case, the state would determine to what extent the operator is obligated to comply with the request.

Such information would undoubtedly assist leagues like the NFL in probing potential internal disciplinary issues. Nonetheless, the criticism against such rules is equally justifiable.

Controversy around integrity rules in Illinois

Just like the leagues, sportsbooks also stand to lose significantly from integrity issues, if not more. Consequently, the potential advantage they could gain from mutually sharing information with the leagues is also substantial.

Understanding the nature of suspicious activity would aid sportsbooks in enhancing their safeguards against such behavior.

Should integrity be the primary concern, it would logically follow that the leagues should be obliged to share any discovered information with the sportsbooks.

However, the current rules don’t provide for that. This may alter as the rules are due to expire in 150 days. This data offers some background for the subsequent actions.

What’s next for legal sports betting in the Land of Lincoln

Once potential licensees are able to submit their finished applications, including items such as five years of tax returns, the IGB will commence their review. The duration of this process is currently unknown.

The board’s intention to finalize the process and grant the licenses within the 150-day lifespan of the emergency rules is indicated by their expiration. While the board has the option to make these emergency rules permanent, it would still present an administrative challenge.

Once operators are granted licenses, they can begin constructing their sportsbooks within the state. Following this, the board will evaluate these books for compliance and establish a date when they can officially start receiving bets.

Considering the length of time it has taken to reach this stage, people in Illinois should not anticipate a rapid change from this point forward. Nonetheless, this marks substantial advancement towards the launch day.