Illinois Could Become 4th US State to Legalize Online Gambling

Although it seemed Pennsylvania would be the next US state to legalize online gambling – the fourth overall – another scenario is likely to happen.

Since Pennsylvania legislature made no concrete action regarding this issue on its latest session, the next candidate to go through with the legalization of iGaming is the Prairie State, Illinois.

The necessary steps have already been made this year. The Illinois Senate was quick to pass a bill allowing online gambling, but the whole process was halted when the bill reached the state’s House of Representatives.

The sponsor of the bill, Chicago-born Representative Michael Zalewski emphasized the need for a new approach, since the current one wasn’t giving any results.

What About DFS?

His bill will not only regulate online gambling in Illinois but will also tackle the question of Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS), which may be far more complex matter.

In last two year, DFS has become a somewhat problematic issue, since several states ordered a separate legislation to allow it back into the market. When it comes to Illinois, DFS was ruled illegal back 2015.

Zalewski believes the entire industry must stand behind the bill, especially the existing brick and mortar casinos.

What Will the Future Bring?

There are many benefits of legalizing online gambling, but probably the most important one is the substantial increase in state’s revenue.

This could easily tip the scale in favour of the legalization, especially since Illinois recently raised its income and corporate taxes. Additional revenue coming from DFS and online gambling would be more than welcomed, especially since it could ease the burden on Illinois taxpayers.

The Senate has spoken and now we’re awaiting the response of the House of Representatives. For the time being, we can only speculate when will the House discuss the bill again. Reports say the move on the legislation could occur in November this year or early 2018.

When it comes to the situation regarding online gambling in the United States, it’s good to know that we can expect progress in the near future.