Who’s For, Who’s Against The Most Significant Illinois Gaming Proposals

The Illinois House Executive Committee met on April 28 to discuss “gaming proposals.”

Online casino policy, in-person sports betting enrollment, and betting on state college teams, to name a few, were among the most important gaming topics on the agenda.

These subjects have supporters and detractors, as you might anticipate. We occasionally know particular politicians who support or oppose a particular scheme. We are aware of entire industries supporting or opposing said procedures in another.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

Website blackjack regulations

Currently, there is an online casino bill in the House: HB 3142.

Online casinos, table games, and blackjack may be made legal throughout Illinois. Six states currently have some sort of authorized virtual game.

A six-month in-person registration condition, a 12 % tax rate, and the maximum of 36 coats are all included in the House bill.

Who & rsquo,s for an Illinois online casino

Rep. Robert Rita, head of the committee

At the reading, Robert Rita did not provide significant information on online gambling, but he co-sponsored HB 3142.

 

 

Jonathan Carroll, a representative

Although Jonathan Carroll did not participate in this board, he is a co-sponsor of the Internet Gaming Act.

 

 

Daniel Didech, Rep.

The board for online casinos was led by Daniel Didech.

He argued in favor of a controlled market and claimed that the illegal online casino market is an unsafe status quo.

& ldquo, These illegal websites advertise and run without taking into account the safety of people who are struggling with gambling addiction, making them extremely predatory for problem gamblers. Additionally, these illegal websites are a major drain on the Illinois business and do not generate taxes or jobs. & rdquo,

Numerous witnesses even mentioned the potential economic benefits of online casino game in Illinois.

According to John Pappas, the founder and CEO of Corridor Consulting, if licensing fees are taken into account, an Illinois online casino industry was generate$ 1 billion in tax revenue and nbsp within five years.

Who & rsquo, skeptic / against playing at an online casino

Multiple witnesses spoke to the idea that internet gaming would not cannibalize brick-and-mortar casinos in Illinois. Considering that the casinos are all in favor of internet gaming, this makes sense.

Tim Butler, a representative

Tim Butler, however, challenged opponents by mentioning the video gaming terminal( VGT ) industry and arguing that it will be most negatively impacted by online casinos.

These were referred to as”& ldquo ,” or” mom-and-pop businesses ,” by Butler. For what it’s worth, he didn’t directly oppose the bill but did express issue.

Finally, a few witnesses testified against online casino gambling and in favor of VGTs.

It appears that the biggest pushback against online casino will be from the VGT industry, and lawmakers concerned about potential cannibalization.

betting on intrastate colleges

The topic of in-state college betting kicked off the hearing.

Illinois residents are currently able to legally wager on in-state school team. This covers places like Illinois, Northwestern, Loyola-Chicago, etc.

Michael Zalewski, Rep. filed a bill this year that would repeal the ban, which was discussed on the panel.

Who & rsquo, in favor of lifting the ban on college betting in Illinois

Michael Zalewski, Rep.

The act was co-sponsored by Michael Zalewski, who also spoke at the receiving on its behalf.

He claimed that the ban & ldquo weakens our market and makes us less competitive than we otherwise would be. & rdquo,

Zalewski added that it’s simple enough for an Illinois resident to travel to Indiana or Iowa and wager on a group from Illinois.

According to Pappas, the rule has caused the state & rsquo’s market to shrink by 15 %.

Jonathan Carroll, a representative

Carroll appears to have offered support at the hearing and is a co-sponsor of Zalewski & rsquo’s bill.

Josh Whitman, the chairman of Illinois Athletics, spoke afterward about how this reform might increase the pressure on participants. He was challenged by Carroll, who questioned whether it was true that a school was deduct an athlete’s scholarship for subpar athletic performance.

Who & rsquo opposes / skeptics a repeal

Director of athletics for Illinois Josh Whitman

Whitman represented all 13 of Illinois’ Division I athletic directors at the hearing.

Whitman argued that while it is possible to cross the border by car to house activities wagers in Iowa and Illinois, where doing so is easier said than done. & rdquo,

His main worry was how in-state school sports betting affected the mental health of student athletes.

Here & rsquo, a portion of this testimony

They are preoccupied with their phones, and most of the day, they base a lot of their self-concept or photo on what they say about people they’ve never met on social media. And that & rsquo is a daily struggle that we engage in today’s college sports. I and my colleagues strongly disagree with the idea of allowing people in our state to wager on our own student athletes because it only serves to open the door and invite people to engage in those severe, threatening, and abusive interactions with them. & rdquo,

Tim Butler, Rep.

Butler did not expressly oppose a repeal, so consider him to fall under the category of & ldquo, skeptical, and rdqua.

Nevertheless, he concurred with Whitman that it is simpler said than done to cross state lines to house sports wagers and that the solution is not as simple as Zalewski had made it out to be.

In-person register for sports gambling

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzkerdid not renew his executive order allowing for mobile sports betting registration in early April. Now, new bettors in Illinois have to visit a casino to sign up for an online sports betting account.

In-person registration is here to stay until 2022, unless there is a legislative fix. We won’t have mobile registration until the Illinois Gaming Board issues a mobile-only license, and the earliest that can happen is 2022.

However, there’s no guarantee anyone even bids for the license, due to its $20 million price tag and the fact that DraftKings and FanDuel are already in the IL market.

Who & rsquo,s for registering for online sports betting

Online sportsbooks in Illinois

Many people testified in favor of signing up for an online casino.

TrevorHayes of William Hill( right ) and JeffKaplan of Penn National Gaming( left ), in particular.

In Illinois, Penn National Gaming operates as a Barstool Sportsbook.

Who & rsquo, s on the fence / against registration online

Rep. Robert Rita & nbsp

Legislators notably did not support website enrollment.

Even though they didn’t say whether they were physically in favor of or against passing the 2019 gaming bill, several people spoke about how difficult it was to do so.

That was a crucial component of what the bill’s final result was, & ldquo. & rdquo,

Rita defended the rule & rsquo’s original intent and mentioned that brick-and-mortar casinos are a top priority.

Tim Butler, Rep. 

Butler concurred with Rita that this clause was crucial to passing the 2019 expenses.

Rivers Casino’s Rush Street Interactive

Nobody from Rivers Casino spoke at the hearing, but Rivers has notably opposed online registration in the past.