Both houses of the legislature have passed a bill that would greatly expand legalized gambling throughout the state. Particular attention has been paid to how it will impact the southern part of Illinois. Senate Bill 690, which Gov. Pritzker has said he will sign, allows the construction of six new casinos. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (KFVS) - An Illinois bill to expand gaming in the state has been approved. JB Pritzker signed the Rebuild Illinois Capital plan Friday, June 28. The gaming expansion bill. Illinois legislators approved a giant gambling-expansion bill that allows sports betting and as many as six new casinos, including one in Chicago, one of the world’s busiest tourism and convention.
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An Illinois lawmaker added his casino expansion proposal to the sports betting bill that is making a last-second push to pass through the legislature.
With the Illinois legislative session set to expire at the end of the week, Rep. Robert Rita (D) tacked his proposal that would add six additional casinos to the state, including a land-based property in Chicago, to SB 516.
The bill is known as the Riverboat Gambling Act and is likely to be heard on the house floor on Wednesday or Thursday. Sen. Terry Link (D) spoke at a press conference and told those in attendance that he “looks forward to making it happen this week and [getting the] governor to sign in the very near future.”
Rita, who has been pushing for casino expansion in the state for several years, is now the bill’s chief sponsor.
If the bill is passed, Rita’s proposal would add five new riverboat casinos in Illinois to go with the proposed Chicago location. It would also add table games to the horse tracks in the state and create sweepstakes wagering, according to a report from the Chicago Sun Times.
On the sports betting end of the legislation, there is still a lot up in the air.
S 516 is a shell bill and is going to be filled out before it is heard on the floor. All parties involved want to pass both retail and online betting but can’t iron out the details. Many in the casino industry want to be able to block DraftKings and FanDuel from entering the online space.
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If legislation can pass and get to the Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk, it is likely to be signed into law. Pritzker introduced his budget earlier in the year and included $200 million in new tax revenue from legalized sports betting.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed into law the far-reaching gaming expansion bill passed by the state legislature early in June, paving the way for the roll-out of regulated sports betting.
Senate Bill 690 was one of four bills signed by the Governor as part of the Rebuild Illinois capital plan. This aims to raise $45bn to invest in roads, bridges, railways, universities, early childhood centers and state facilities over the next six years, creating an estimated 540,000 jobs over that period.
The gaming expansion bill allows for the establishment of six new land-based casinos, including a major facility in Chicago, as well as the roll-out of slot machines at racetracks and the O’Hare and Midway airports.
It also includes Representative Robert Rita’s Sports Wagering Act, which was attached to the wider bill in a last-minute push to shepherd sports betting legislation into law.
This sets out a $10m license fee for master licenses for casinos and racetracks, with online licenses costing $20m and both certificates valid for four years. Sports facilities, stadia with a capacity of 17,000 or greater, will also be able to secure a licence at a cost of $10m, which also allows for mobile wagering within a 5-block radius of the venue.
Operators will pay a 15% gross revenue tax, to be deposited in the newly created Sports Wagering Fund. Money generated will be split between counties, to support the criminal justice system, and the Capital Projects Fund.
For the first 18 months of the market, customers must sign up in-person for an online sports wagering account.
“I am proud to join Governor Pritzker, Senator [Terry] Link and our many dedicated advocates in communities that will benefit greatly from the gaming expansion package in Senate Bill 690,” said the bill’s House sponsor, Representative Bob Rita.
“This is a testament to bipartisan work in Springfield to create jobs and bring new entertainment and tourism dollars to areas that desperately need it around the state. Thank you to everyone who made this victory possible.”
American Gaming Association president and chief executive Bill Miller noted that Illinois had become the 17th US jurisdiction to legalize sports betting since the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in May 2018.
“As the state rolls out its sports betting framework, it’s critical that Illinois sports teams and other newcomers to the gaming business follow the lead of the state’s licensed gaming operators in advancing responsible gaming practices that ensure protections for consumers, bets and game integrity,” he added.
Alongside SB690, the Rebuild Illinois package consists of House Bill 62, covering appropriations for capital projects, Senate Bill 1939, to raise revenue for horizontal construction and House Bill 142, for bond authorization.
The measures are expected to raise $33.2bn for the state’s roads and bridges, $1bn for passenger rail and $1.8bn for economic and community development. A further $400m will be raised for broadband expansion, with $200m going to affordable housing and $200m to Illinois’ healthcare system. Gaming expansion alone is projected to generate $350m a year for state coffers, to be used to fund construction projects.
“With this historic $45 billion capital plan, we’re fixing decades-long problems, creating good jobs, improving communities for the next generation – and doing it together, across party lines,” said Governor J.B. Pritzker.
“The Rebuild Illinois plan transforms our state’s approach to transportation infrastructure, finally treating our roads, bridges, and railways like 21st century investments and not relics of the past,” he explained. “We’re also making critical investments in our higher education institutions, our crime lab and veterans’ homes, early childhood centers, and expanding broadband access to communities across Illinois.
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“With these investments, we’re creating and supporting hundreds of thousands of new jobs in our state. This is more than an infrastructure plan. This is a job creation plan the likes of which our state has never seen.”
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