Illinois Online Gaming Bill Gains SupportBill Would Legalize Online Poker In Illinois And Give Regulators The Ability To Join The MSIGA |
|
Facing a $3.2 billion budget shortfall for fiscal year 2026, Illinois legislators are looking to legalize online poker and other casino games to help shore that up. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has lent his support to adding online gaming in the state, which could bring in an additional $1 billion per year.
Rep. Edgar Gonzalez Jr. filed HB3080 in February, but the bill just began making its way through the state house. On Friday, the bill was re-referred to the House Rules Committee from the Gaming Committee.
The bill would legalize online casinos, set the industry tax rate at 25% and include language allowing the state to enter into the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement for shared online poker player and prize pools.
Mixed Reactions By Lawmakers
Pritzker has expressed support for legalization in helping the state with Illinois’s budget woes. He has called the issue “worthy of consideration.” Some legislators have already expressed support for adding online gaming.
Sen. Cristina Castro, who introduced online casino bills in prior legislative sessions, believes this can fix budget shortfalls in a way that residents will approve of.
“In a tough budget year, you’re looking at ways to increase revenue,” Castro told the Chicago Sun-Times. “This is one tool for that. And it’s something that could be more palatable to constituents.”
However, there was pushback against the bill in a house committee meeting last week. Like most arguments against gambling expansion, they believe residents will suffer.
“Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week when people are most vulnerable, when they’re alone, in isolation [or] within the close reach of minors,” Illinois Gaming Machine Operators Association executive director Ivan Fernandez said. “Without any regard for local authority or any reasonable time or spending limits, merely to generate a new tax.”
Supporters of the bill noted that many in the state are already gambling using unregulated sites and giving them a legal option.
“It’s very hard once you shut one of (the unregulated sites) down to prevent another one of them from starting back up the same day with the same spokesperson and the same contact information,” FanDuel lobbyist James Hartmann said. “The only way to shut it down is to have a regulated legal marketplace.”
Potential Poker Growth
With a population of 12.7 million, the state could offer a significant boost to the MSIGA. Pennsylvania (13 million) is also expected to join the MSIGA soon and Connecticut (3.7 million) is considering legislation to join. They could join New Jersey (9.5 million), Michigan (10.1 million), and Nevada (3.3 million). West Virginia (1.8 million) and Delaware (1.1 million) are also members, but currently don’t have any poker operators in the states.
If Illinois and Connecticut end up joining the interstate online poker compact, all MSIGA member states would total more than 42 million, providing a much larger player pool.
Currently, WSOP.com, PokerStars, and BetMGM all operate shared player pools. Rush Street Interactive also launched a poker product in Pennsylvania in 2024 and plans to expand.
Copyright © 2001-2025
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
.jpeg)
