Illinois lawmakers mull betting on internet gambling while existing industry warns it’ll fold

In the years since the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily shut down Illinois casinos, video gambling terminals, horse racing and professional sports — just days after legal sports betting went live — the state’s gambling industry has seen an explosion in growth.

Even the state lottery, which was launched 50 years ago, has experienced an expansion in recent years after a decade of stagnation. Total state tax revenues from all sources of wagering in Illinois, including the lottery, surpassed $2 billion in the last fiscal year.

Against this backdrop, some lawmakers are pushing for Illinois to join eight other states that have legalized internet gambling, also known as iGaming. It’s a tempting possibility in a year when the state is facing a possible budget deficit and uncertainty about normally solid sources of federal funding as President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are cheering for cuts.

While Illinois already allows sports betting on mobile apps, iGaming includes online casinos and other forms of online gambling that are currently outlawed.

Read more: Legislative revenue estimate more than $700M lower than Pritzker’s proposed budget | Pritzker calls $55.2B budget ‘responsible and balanced’ – but warns Trump policies could upend it

State Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, D-Chicago, asked a panel of his fellow House members this week to imagine Illinois facing another financial downturn like the pandemic-recession of 2020 when Trump was finishing out his first term. That year, Illinois faced a major budget shortfall, though federal stimulus money ended up helping the state recover.

https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/lawmakers-mull-betting-on-internet-gambling-while-existing-industry-warns-itll-fold/