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Illinois has consistently been one of the top sports betting
states in the country. This year, the state passed Pennsylvania
for third place in lifetime sports betting handle with over $19
billion bet on sports.
Phillip Milan, CEO of the gambling insider website Vegas Kings,
said he expected the rapid expansion of sports betting in the
U.S.
“I’m not really surprised because before sports betting was
legalized, a lot of people would fly to Vegas or they would use
off-shore bookies and local bookies that are not legal, but they
would still sports bet,” Milan told The Center Square.
Lifetime, the states that allow legal sports betting have
produced a combined handle of over $200 billion through January
2023. The total tax revenue from the wagers is nearly $2.7
billion.
A measure has been introduced in Springfield that would legalize
internet gaming. State Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, filed
Senate Bill 1656 which proposes the initial cost of an internet
gaming license would be $250,000 with applications limited to
Illinois casinos and racetracks. The bill remains in committee.
Only Michigan, Delaware, West Virginia, Connecticut,
Pennsylvania and New Jersey allow so-called iGaming.
Bonus.com researcher Heather Fletcher said Illinois is one of
five states to watch this year for possible online casino
legalization.
“Specifically for Illinois, once the market is mature it could
mean $240 million, and that is if it’s taxed the same rate as
sports,” Fletcher said.
The group Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction
Problems opposes internet gaming. Rev. Shane Hartman said there
are so many negatives that outweigh the positives.
"There's all these cross addictions with gambling and alcohol,"
Hartman told The Center Square in November. "And all these
things that go together, the suicide rates go through the roof
with this online gambling."
Hartman said that 3.8% of adult Illinoisans, or about 383,000
people, are considered to already have a gambling problem and if
the state adopts online gambling, he thinks that number will
explode.
Illinois leads the nation in the number of electronic gaming
devices, with over 40,000 machines at nearly 8,000 locations
around the state in 2021, including in bars, gaming parlors and
gas stations.
Kevin Bessler reports on statewide issues in
Illinois for the Center Square. He has over 30 years of
experience in radio news reporting throughout the Midwest.
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