Illinois House Rep
Introduces Online Casino Bill
Image: Soloman Leiberman/Better Government
Illinois sports betting has been legal since November 4, 2020, and now the state is moving to legalize online casinos. Filed by State House Representative Bob Rita (D), Bill HB3142 will regulate Illinois online casinos.
Aiming for a quick launch, if passed, Illinois casinos will have the opportunity to expand their offering into the online casino market in addition to online sports betting which is already live in the state.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker pushed for the complicated legislation, the Sports Wagering Act (SWA). An amendment to the Illinois gambling laws and made sports betting legal in June 2019.
Due to Illinois gambling law, there will be three online-only sportsbook licenses up for grabs in late 2021. Illinois casinos will have an 18-month head start within the online space. How useful that head start has been is debatable with online brands signing deals with other retail partners.
BetRivers was the first to launch its online sportsbook on June 18, 2020. It has been followed by other prominent names in the market. Such as DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, PointsBet and others.
With the major sports now recovering after the pandemic and the Illinois sports betting coming alive, state legislators want to continue with the success and move into more online gambling spaces. Including online casino and poker.
Online Illinois gambling could be another lucrative way for the state to start recovering from the impact of COVID-19. However, some businesses and state bodies worry that the bill could have negative impacts, both economically and societally.
Whilst passing the SWA, it seemed that the Internet Gaming Act (IGA), making Illinois online casinos legal, would be passed as well. However, complications arose with the particulars still unknown. The general opinion is that Rush Street Gaming’s dislike of the competition coming from the Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) industry is holding the state back.
As a brick and mortar casino operator, Rush Street was unable to offer DFS products. DraftKings and FanDuel offered its DFS products in Illinois when the legality was still being discussed. Rush Street wasn’t able to risk joining the market, it believes the DFS companies have gained an unfair advantage.
Although less profit to be made in DFS, both DraftKings and FanDuel have become top competitors in the online gaming market. Both have widespread customer bases. The uses of DFS platforms helped build their renown as well as brand strength ahead of legal online gaming in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Michigan.
The “penalty box” in the SWA was meant to delay access to online brands such as DFS companies. DraftKings however navigating around the SWA penalty box and launched Illinois sports betting in August 2020.
With the DFS companies launched and with Rush Street launching its online division, there is little point in disputing Illinois online casinos. With its support, IGA has a strong likelihood of passing.
If passed, HB3142 would form the Internet Gaming Act, finally legalizing online casinos. It will also provide various rules and regulations for the Illinois online casino market.
The bill allows online gaming operators to launch a maximum of three online casino skins. The Illinois casinos will be able to offer online casinos either through its own platform or through a partner. The partnerships will be more likely, with many casinos already partnered with online sportsbook brands. There are currently 10 retail casinos and three racetracks, allowing for 39 online casinos. It’s not likely for all of the licenses to be filled. New Jersey for example, with an overcrowded market still has less than 30.
The initial license fee is $500,000, with a $250,000 renewal every four years.
All activity will be regulated by the Illinois Gaming board, the same as with sports betting and retail properties.
Key stipulations such as “provisions for age verification, location of wagering and responsible gaming” are included in HB3142. The bill has strong provisions for responsible gaming, including self-exclusion via statewide registry and personal deposit and spending limits. Also, $10 million of the tax revenue will go to the Department of Human Services to fund problem gambling treatment.
The bill also stipulates 12% of adjusted gross gaming revenue. This is currently lower than any other state offering online casinos. It also prohibits local government from enforcing additional taxes.
The one perceived limitation of the bill is the initial period where Illinois online casinos will have to have in-person registration. This will only last 6 months, with online registration will be available.
HB3142 stands out for one reason, the number of provisions pushing for a quick launch.
The bill directs the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) to draw up emergency regulations immediately, setting its deadline of 90 days. To compare this to other states, Michigan who launched recently, took almost a year to finalize its regulations.
Along this thought process, the bill states that the IGB base the emergency regulations on the existing regulations for the Illinois casinos. As well as taking note of other online gambling laws and policies from other states. All of these hopes to bring a speedy resolution and launch to the state.
Not only is the focus on passing the legislation, but also on the speed of licensing. The bill in its current form mandates the IGB to supply a temporary license to all applicants who already have a license for Illinois sports betting under the SWA within 30 days. The temporary licenses will be valid for a year.
If all goes to plan, Illinois online casinos could be operating in just 4 months after the bill becomes law.
With many of the Illinois casinos already in partnership with sports betting brands, it will be likely these partnerships will expand into online casino games. DraftKings and FanDuel are just two brands with a foothold already within the state. Both offer an extensive selection of games and would be an obvious bet for launching into Illinois online casino.
Indiana, unfortunately, wasn’t successful in getting two online casino bills passed, missing the legislative deadline to pass the committee stage.
Introduced by State Sen. Jon Ford, Senate Bill 417 intended to legalize online gaming in Indiana. Aiming to permit Indiana’s 14 casinos to offer online poker and casino games. Ford was confident the bill could gain a footing, especially following a $313 million betting handle in December.
“A large part of that was done online,” Ford commented. “So, I think you see with sports wagering, you can see there’s clearly a demographic out there that wants to engage in gaming through their mobile phones.”
Also introduced by Representative Alan Morrison, House Bill 1406 aimed to authorize online casino gaming in Indiana.
The introduction of online casinos in Indiana was projected by Ford to have a potential return of $65 million – $80 million tax revenue. The revenue would be paid to the state and to support the casino industry still dealing with the impact of COVID-19.
However as both bills stalled, it will have to be put on the back burner until the following year to be introduced again.
Sugarhouse is owned by Rush Interactive, which is one of the most prominent providers of online sportsbook and casinos in the country. In 2016, SugarHouse launched it online casino in New Jersey, joined by its online sportsbook in 2018. Since then, it became a leading casino and sportsbook for Americans. Check out their fantastic bonuses, games and bets available, and see yourself why when it comes to casino and sports betting in the USA, Sugarhouse is a Powerhouse
March Madness seems to get better every year, and the 2022 version has not disappointed. Some favorites have dominated, while others have been dumped out much sooner than expected. Every tournament needs a Cinderella, and Saint Peter’s is one of the most heartwarming underdogs in recent memory. This tournament has shown that anything can happen, and US bettors have had a great time trying to predict these games and sometimes making great profits.
With February officially coming to an end, NCAA basketball fans are gearing up for perhaps the biggest March Madness in recent memory. Now more than ever before, there seem to be upset every weekend. Not only that, but college basketball betting has also grown exponentially in the past twelve months since the Baylor Bears won their first national championship in program history. With the hype now starting to build and Selection Sunday less than a month away, sports pundits have been speculating who they believe will bring home the trophy in 2022.
December has Christmas, January has New Year’s Day, February has Valentine’s Day, and March has March Madness. The time has almost come for the US’ favorite college sports tournament. The nation’s full attention falls on those teams that qualify for the tournament. Over the years, millions of Americans have taken part in local brackets on who will win March Madness.
SPORT BETTING APPS Sports betting has always been an exciting way for fans to buy into the sport, in a way participate and add another dimension of thrill and excitement to the competition, match or any sporting event. With the evolution of remote betting first to phone, and later on to online betting, remote sports-betting not only became available to a wider audience, but also added a whole new level of excitement and magic to sports betting. Today’s mobile sports betting apps, which are readily available on both Android and Apple, are on the front line of technology, and alongside an exceptional slick and user friendly interface, opens to sports betting punters an entire universe of sports events, odds, games and features such as live streaming and in-play betting. Are you into NFL? Are you an NBA fan? Maybe your thing is baseball so you would like to bet on MLB? Or perhaps you are into world sports and want some European Premier Soccer betting? The mobile sports betting apps bring all of this amazing action to your mobile device, so you can bet on what you want, from wherever you are, at any time you choose to.
CASINO APPSAre you a casino player? Did you always love casino, the atmosphere, the thrill and excitement, and most importantly the dream and sometimes reality of big winnings? You no longer need to wait for your next trip to Vegas, or wherever it is you are planning to go to a casino. Mobile and remote casino gambling has now entered to US, and it is here to stay. Already live in New Jersey, and closely followed by other states, Americans can now join the fun, download a casino mobile app from one of the top, legal and certified US casinos, and have all the magic of casino from their mobile device. Are you a BlackJack player? Or maybe you are into Roulette? Maybe Baccarat or Craps are your game, or are you a fan of slots? Whichever game is for you, you will find it on the mobile casino apps that are now becoming legal and regulated across states, and enable you to have your own private casino on your mobile device. It is legal, it is exciting, and it is magic.
SLOTS APPS For many, slot machines are the most thrilling part of the casino. The lights, animation, sounds and action take you into another dream world, where you can win huge prizes, jackpots, bonus rounds and what not. The Mobile slot apps that are now available in the US provide the world’s premier slots, all made regulated and fully compliant with the US regulations and laws. So you can safely and securely download the slots mobile app to your mobile device (where it is legal to do so), and have the most amazing slot game experience coming to life on your mobile phone. Are you into progressive slots where you get a chance at winning an amazing jackpot, or perhaps you are into an animated video slot that has branded content with your favourite movie, TV or music stars? All of these amazing titles are just a swipe away, all available on your mobile phone by downloading the mobile slot game app.
POKER APPSA lot has changed since the first games of poker were played along the Mississippi River in the 1800s, with Poker becoming a worldwide phenomenon, crossing the boundaries of a card game and considered by many a sport, with tournaments, leagues and champions. Being a game with friends or a professional tournament, the online revolution turned poker to be a game that is played and followed by billions all over the world. And then the latest stage of the poker uprising which is the mobile poker apps, which enable you to access any kind of level, tournament and game from your mobile phone, no matter where you are in the world, and what time it is, you can join in the poker fun and excitement and play against other poker enthusiasts like you around the globe. Poker is now coming home again, and becoming legal to play remotely state after state in the USA also. So now Americans can already download a safe and legal mobile.
BestAppBet.com and all content herein is intended for persons 21 years and older. You must be 21+ to gambling in the USA and 18+ rest of the world.
Call 1-800-GAMBLER
IF YOU HAVE GAMBLING PROBLEM
Subscribe to Our Newsletter to get important News, Amazing Offers & Inside Scoops:
BestAppBet has no intention that any of the information it provides is used for illegal purposes. It is your own personal responsibility to make sure that all age and other relevant requirements are adhered to before registering with a casino operator. By continuing to use this website you agree to our terms and conditions. Due to the varying legal status of online gambling in different jurisdictions, visitors should ensure they have sought legal counsel before proceeding to a casino operator. Please also be aware that BestAppBet operates independently and as such is not controlled by any casino or gambling operator.
Copyright @ 2023 All Rights Reserved to BestAppBet
Terms of Use/Privacy Policy