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* From Gov. Pritzker’s budget address…
This budget also includes the legalization and taxation of sports betting. Expansion of gambling is a perennial effort in this state, and often these proposals get bogged down in regional disputes and a Christmas tree approach. But in those instances, we were talking about adding more riverboats or adding into other regions. Sports betting is different – this is a new market created by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. Every day we argue about “who’s in and who’s out” is money that goes to other states and to the black market. I am calling on the legislature to take this up immediately so that Illinois can realize hundreds of millions of dollars, create new jobs, and bring sports betting into a regulated environment that will protect citizens from bad actors. If we do it this year and become the first state in the Midwest to move on this initiative, we can realize more than $200 million from sports betting fees and taxes in FY 2020.
* The Tribune takes a look at the huge number of interest groups vying for a piece of that pie. This is accurate…
“The history is that it’s hard to keep these (gambling bills) clean,” said Kent Redfield, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield. “But the history is also that, more often than not, when they become a Christmas tree, they collapse under their own weight.”
That mainly happens when the four legislative leaders and the governor are not all pulling in the same direction.
* So, keep an eye on this…
Who would be eligible for a license remains open for negotiation, Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said.
If the state creates 20 licenses as the governor has proposed, each of Illinois’ 10 casinos and three horse tracks could be licensed to take bets on sporting events. Video gaming terminal operators, existing sportsbooks in other states and sports teams also could vie for licenses.
* From the House sponsor…
While Pritzker has put down “a reasonable marker” for what he’d like to see, “I do get the sense he’s very willing to let us try to work it out for him and try to get to a place where we’re comfortable and he’s comfortable and we can get a bill on his desk,” [Rep. Mike Zalewski] said.
Using history as a guide, if the governor punts the details to the General Assembly he’s probably gonna wind up with a huge bundle of messy nothing.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:15 am
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“A Huge Bundle of Messy Nothing” could be our state motto.
Comment by Dome Gnome Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:29 am
Any law should allow for some online sports books to operate. Allow for sites like Bovada (subject to regulation and review of significant investors/owners) to operate and demand a percentage of each bet.
Comment by Chicagonk Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:35 am
Here is my part of the tree, you can’t have sports gaming in a municipality or location unless video poker is allowed.
Comment by OneMan Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:41 am
=== Using history as a guide, … ===
Rich hits the nail on the head. C’mon JB engage, engage, engage and then engage some more. That’s what a leader does.
Comment by Norseman Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:47 am
YES! It’s called “leadership”. Given our recent history we might need to make certain everyone involved understands the definition.
Comment by OutHereInTheMiddle Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:53 am
According to the Ill Game Board in Jan 2019 Illinois got about $30M in taxes on $1.5B in video gaming. So sports gambling has to add $200M a year on top of that to hit its target. That is a huge jump in gambling over what currently exists. Is the actual gambling market that big?
Comment by zatoichi Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 10:54 am
Let’s give one license to the State Fair Foundation and use the $$$ to repair the property. Now that is “not a bad idea”
Comment by ANNONIN's Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 11:00 am
Sports betting has huge upside potential. While this is a no brainer for Illinois, it is going to be difficult to get it in clean. Everybody is going to want their piece of the pie.
If JB wants the tax revenue, he will need to shepherd this through. Get busy.
Comment by SSL Monday, Feb 25, 19 @ 11:25 am