• Representative Mike Zalewski plans to add amendments to IL HB 1260.
  • Adding the amendments will be one of the final attempts to legalize sports betting.
  • The Illinois legislative session ends on Friday, May 31.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Mike Zalewski plans on introducing amendments to a bill to legalize sports betting.

There have been a series of attempts to legalize sports wagering in Illinois. Most of the attempts have fallen through. Zalewski is now attempting to consolidate those attempts into one proposal.

Zalewski will add new amendments to IL HB 1260 to allow sports wagering to take place in Illinois. The 89-pages of amendments gives us an idea on what sports betting may look like in the state.

Key Points Of The Amendments

Almost any gambling entity can open a sportsbook in Illinois. This includes lottery retailers, casinos, and several sports facilities. Each one of these locations will have their own license fees for each sportsbook. The lottery retailer will have a $20 million fee to open sportsbooks in all their locations. There is even an option to go online-only in Illinois for a $25 million license fee.

But Zalewski has included provisions that would prevent online retailers from being successful. No online sportsbook can open for the first 1.5 years of legalizing sports betting in Illinois. This will mean operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel cannot enter the market.

The companies have had a conflict with the state in the past. The companies had a campaign against the state, but they have pulled the ad off the air.

The leagues are also partly getting what they want in Illinois as well. Although there is no integrity fee, sportsbooks must use official league data 1.5 years after legalization. No other state that has legalized sports betting has included this. Doing so will give the leagues power over sports betting in Illinois.

Banking On Sports Betting

Almost all sports betting revenue will have a tax rate of 20 percent. Governor J.B. Pritzker seems to be counting on sports betting to be legal in Illinois. His 2020 budget proposal calls for about $217 million in sports betting revenue. He planned on using that money to complete various construction projects in Illinois.

But time is running out to secure that money. The current legislative session in Illinois ends on Friday, May 31. If lawmakers can legalize sports betting by then, then part of that $217 million will be fulfilled by license fees. Without legalization, Illinois will have a $217 million hole in its budget.

Advertising Disclosure

In order to provide you with the best independent sports betting news and content LegalSportsBetting.com may receive a commission from partners when you make a purchase through a link on our site.

News tags: |