New Governor J.B Pritzker has raised hopes of legal Illinois sports betting after including $200 million in future tax revenue from wagering activities in his 2020 budget proposal. Pritzker is proposing to legalize sports betting at facilities across the state, including in-person and online gambling. Those betting via the internet would be able to do so from inside Illinois or in a jurisdiction that has entered into a reciprocal agreement with the state. Pritzker has said Illinois could generate between $384m and $680m in gross sports betting revenue per year under full implementation. Based on the proposed 20% tax rate,…

The prospects of Illinois’ legislature passing a bill that would legalize and regulate online gambling and daily fantasy sports got a boost as lawmakers head back to the state capitol for a special session. The Senate passed an iGaming and DFS bill — H 479 — at the end of May. But the House did not immediately take up the legislation, leaving it in limbo until lawmakers planned to come back to Springfield in June. A special session called by Gov. Bruce Rauner starts on Wednesday, during which lawmakers will attempt to come to an agreement on a state budget….

The Illinois Senate has given the green light to a bill that would legalise online gaming and daily fantasy sports (DFS) in the US state. According to Onlinepokerreport.com, the Senate passed House bill H 479 on the final day of the session by a vote of 42-10, and it will now progress to the Illinois House. The bill was one of two up for discussion, although Senate bill S 1531, which only included language for legalising DFS, did not advance. The House has now adjourned until June 8, when it will reconvene to discuss the bill alongside a number of…

A bill to allow and regulate online daily fantasy sports betting has been introduced in the General Assembly, but opponents say it will hurt other forms of gambling in Illinois. The bill is intended to supercede a 2015 advisory opinion by Attorney General Lisa Madigan that daily fantasy sports betting was illegal under state gambling law. The legislation’s chief sponsor, Rep. Michael Zalewski, D-Riverside, says the regulations proposed are designed to protect players. “I think daily fantasy sports continues to be operating in a regulatory vacuum,” Zalewski said. “This has been going on for two or three years now where…

There apparently is nothing in Illinois’ gambling law that prohibits video gambling malls — a concept that may place as many as nine independently operated “casino cafes” in one location in the Southland. I mentioned in a previous column that the mayors of two suburbs are ready to welcome with open arms the idea of converting two strip malls in their towns. Crestwood Mayor Lou Presta and Hometown Mayor Kevin Casey have discussed the plans with developers, who want to lease the storefronts to multiple owners of gambling cafes. The businesses resemble coffee shops but serve liquor and are each…

Calvin Ayre – PokerStars’ parent company, Rational Entertainment Enterprises, Ltd. (REEL), or more commonly known as the  Rational Group, won itself a decision against a class action lawsuit in Illinois from a group of poker players who claim to have lost money from illegal gambling. Chief Judge David R. Herndon of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois ruled in favor of granting Rational’s motion to dismiss the complaint filed by Kelly Sonnenberg. Sonnenberg’s complaint against Rational centered on her attempt to recover damages incurred by Illinois poker players from playing online poker using the state’s…