Dreamstime/Caroline Henri The Illinois legislature is back in session, albeit briefly. The Senate and House reconvened on Tuesday for a six-day veto session that will take place in two blocks of three days each, from Oct. 19-21 and Oct. 26-28.
This session, which would ordinarily happen a little later in November, was thought to be the last hope for the Internet Gaming Act (IGA) in 2021. That bill, sponsored by Rep. Robert Rita in the House and Sen. Cristina Castro in the Senate, would have added online casinos and poker to the state’s existing online and retail sports betting market.
Sadly, the state appears to be drawing dead in this hand, at least. After learning of the final dates for the veto session, Online Poker Report reached out to Sen. Castro to ask if we could expect the effort to continue. A short and to-the-point response arrived on Wednesday morning from Maggie Lenkart, an intern working in communications for the Senate Democrats. Internet gaming legislation likely won’t be heard during this veto session, but the senator remains committed to working with stakeholders on bringing an iGaming option to Illinois. Instead, the legislature will be considering other issues, such as redrawing congressional districts and possibly repealing a controversial abortion law .
That doesn’t mean the bill is dead , however, merely dormant. The Illinois legislature works on a two-year cycle, and 2021 is only the first year of the 102nd General Assembly. Thus, the IGA will still be on the table when the legislature reconvenes in the second week of January. IGA provides a lot to be excited about
As disappointing as it is that Illinois online casino legislation won’t happen this year, the state is still in a good place. The IGA created a lot of excitement when it first appeared, and for good reason.
It’s a big state, for one thing, with only slightly less population than Pennsylvania. The latter is, of course, the largest state to have legalized online gambling to date. Illinois sports betting has also been going well. To date, the market has generated nearly $6 billion in […]
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