Whether you are a fan of the Cubs, White Sox, Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Fire, Red Stars or Bandits, the Illinois legislature has gone all on giving bettors in the nation the chance to put online sports bets around the home team — well, the professional ones anyhow.
Lawmakers passed SB0690 on June 2, which puts Illinois among the over a dozen states, plus Washington, D.C., to authorize legal US sports gambling.
As of this typing, the Illinois online sports gambling bill has not yet been signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker (do not worry, he is likely to do it), along with the Magic 8 Ball is stating”Reply Hazy” regarding when the first sports wagers may be placed, though officials are optimistic for around the beginning of the NFL season which kicks off Sept. 5.
How Illinois Online Sports Betting Efforts Began
In May 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Skilled And Amateur Sports Protection Act due to a challenge from the state of New Jersey which opened door to states beyond Nevada to start sports betting in the United States.
In the last year, either through grandfathered laws or newly approved laws, over a dozen states, including Illinois, and Washington, D.C. have implemented or are poised to begin some form of legalized sports betting. NJ online sports gambling is flourishing and online sports betting in PA got from the starter’s blocks in June 2019.
Illini Legislators Ante Up
In the last legislative session, state Rep. Mike Zalewski arrived at the state Capitol using many sports betting proposals determined to take advantage of their perceived economic benefits.
Stakeholders from racetrack and casino holders, to video gaming operators and sports leagues, engaged in weeks of push-me, pull-you discussions.
A ferocious point of contention has been”bad-actor” speech in a fifth suggestion brought by Rep. Robert Rita, which included a proposal by Rivers Des Plaines Casino and its manager initially searching for a three-year moratorium of gambling participation by online-only operators FanDuel and DraftKings. The fantasy giants have been accused of continuing to operate after a 2015 non-binding attorney general opinion that they”clearly reflect gambling.”
The proposed law that arose on June 2 from a two-day special session knocked the penalty down to 18 months, giving casinos an edge in establishing sportsbooks. The online sports betting providers can get around this by partnering with a casino and using the spouses title, such as Caesars is DraftKings. But this probably is not what DraftKings wants because it could not use its own manufacturer.
10 Things You May Want To Know About Illinois Online Sports Betting
1. When can you bet. At this writing, there’s still no firm date when Illinois online sports gambling will start. The approved invoice has not yet been signed into law, however Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he’ll do so. Some officials say gambling will begin in time for the NFL season, but some say that’s incredibly optimistic. We are going to advise when the picture is clearer.
2. Where can you bet. After permits are approved, casinos, racetracks and kiosks in pick sports venues will offer gambling first, with full Illinois online sports gambling available afterwards. In a planned pilot program during the first year of sports betting, there will be 2,500 kiosks, very similar to people selling lottery scratch-offs, where patrons may place sports bets. Another 2,500 more are planned in the second year of sport betting. Seven sports venues, (pg. 243) that seat 17,000 or more, are eligible to open sportsbooks as well. They’re: Wrigley Field, Soldier Field, United Center, Guaranteed Speed Field, SeatGeek Stadium, Chicagoland Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway. Though not implemented yet, Washington, D.C., also, will have live betting in sports places. Pennsylvania and New Jersey sports sites allow cellular wagering.
3. You must be this old to bet. 21 years old… it doesn’t matter how tall you are.
4. No in-state collegiate betting. When in Illinois, bettors can place wagers on any and each the professional leagues however favorite local faculty teams or their in-state alma mater is off limits. The athletic directors of many Division 1 schools spoke with lawmakers earlier this year, creating a case for in-state college sports to be exempt from wagering. They cited that student athletes would become targets for those wanting to get inside information or wanting to influence players or the result. Lawmakers agreed and also the collegiate exemption is in place. Thus, Notre Dame YES! Northwestern NO!
5. Mobile betting. The plan is for Illinois mobile betting to happen shortly after sportsbooks are up and running at establishments. For the first 18 months, the wagers will have to be set on an app or site centered with a brick-and-mortar operation, where you also will have to register before you can wager. (pg. 242).
6. FanDuel and draftKings prohibition. DraftKings and FanDuel are the appearing immediate losers in the Illinois sports betting legislation having been placed at a proverbial”penalty box” The online-only dream sports behemoths are prevented from entering the gambling market for 18 months, giving casinos that a head start in both retail and online. Adding salt to the wound, Rush Street Interactive, a minority owner and director of Rivers Casino, will probably be allowed to execute its mobile platform to say bettors since DraftKings and FanDuel have to sit on their thumbs. Rush Street Use a similar venture with New Jersey’s SugarHouse Casino to get a leap on mobile in neighboring Pennsylvania. Not that the two fantasy sports providers are completely from plays, they could partner with an present casino but cannot use their new or”skin” For example, DraftKings which partners with Caesars could engage under their umbrella.
7. Six new casinos. An amendment (pg. 227) to the bill, attracts Chicago its original casino that will be independently owned and have about 4,000 chairs offered for gaming. Until the Chicago casino opens, it might take three years. The remaining casinos, together with 2,000 seats, will be in the suburbs of Danville, Rockford, Waukegan and Williamson County with 1,200 seats (pg. 640). The casino growth could bring an additional $360 million into state coffers from permit and program fees.
8. More gambling growth. The bill also enables existing casinos with less than 1,200 chairs to rise to 2,000. Horse racetracks are permitted 1,200 seats. SB690 also permits poker and video slots in Chicago O’Hare International and Chicago Midway International airports, and just be available in private clubs, not the public.
9. Official information required. Illinois is the second country in the nation, another being Tennessee, to require official league info (pg. 252) for all in-play and prop bets. The expert leagues won’t be paid an ethics fee but will receive earnings for providing the information.
10. Who will profit. The residents of Illinois. The tax rate for sports betting is 15 percent generating approximately $12 billion in earnings during the next six years. A massive chunk of this will come from gambling license charges, (pg. 234) $3 million to $20 million depending on the type of facility and breadth of its operations and their subsequent renewal. The money will fund a $45 billion”Rebuild Illinois” strategy for streets, mass transit, bridges, universities and schools and other projects. Chicago’s one-third share of its casino revenue will go toward funding police and firefighter pension funds.
Illinois Long Bullish On Gambling Rome wasn’t built in a day would be the clich??, well is Illinois online sports gambling.
The step about the governor’s desk is just the latest in a rich, or not-so-rich, history of gambling in Illinois:
1800s: Illinois was home to unlicensed riverboats and the riffraff attracted to them.
1920s: Betting on horses was lawful and the height sophistication and popularity. Back in 1921,”Shoeless” Joe Jackson and seven teammates were found not guilty on conspiring to throw the World Series but still prohibited from baseball. About the same period, Prohibition and the growth of Al Capone, Charlie Birger and other gangsters profiting from bootlegging and illegal gaming while combating”untouchable” Eliot Ness.
1979: The Land of Lincoln legislated a state lottery to benefit education.
1986: Accredited charity gambling was OK’d.
1990s: Riverboat casinos at 1991were necessary to flee rivers while available then enabled in ???99 to drop anchor with gambling complexes built around them at permanent docks.
2000s: In 2001, Illinois was the first state to sell lottery tickets online. In 2009, the country approved the Video Gaming Act but it took two decades to execute due to court challenges. To many, the payout has not been worthwhile. The Casinos Act passed muster in 2011, expanding casinos from rivers, allowing games offered at pari-mutuel racetracks to include slot machines.
Which brings us to 2019, where lawful Illinois online sports gambling will occur sometime in the autumn. Keep this page in your mind for all your prospective Indiana online sports betting news and updates!
(Chicago Cubs Photo: Patrick Gorski/USA TODAY Sports)