Illinois joined the lengthy list of states that will consider legalising internet casino gaming after companion bills were filed in the general assembly on Friday (7 February).
It is the second consecutive session that Senator Cristina Castro and Representative Edgar Gonzalez have filed to legalise igaming. Neither of their bills made it out of committee during the 2023-24 general assembly. Illinois is a challenging marketplace for legalisation. It has added six brick-and-mortar casinos statewide over the last five-plus years. There are four new permanent and two currently temporary locations.
It also has the most extensive legal video gaming terminal (VGT) network in the United States. There are nearly 8,700 licensees and more than 48,700 terminals. Illinois is the number two sports betting market in the country. Last summer, lawmakers moved that tax from a flat 15% to a progressive one with tiers ranging from 20% to 40% at the start of fiscal year 2025 last 1 July.
VGTs are biggest gambling tax contributors
VGTs are the largest source of gaming tax revenue in Illinois, having generated $884.2 million (£712.12 million/€858.07 million) in receipts for the state and an additional $152.4 million for local municipalities in the 2024 calendar year. Illinois’ 16 casinos generated $345.2 million in state tax revenue, while sports betting receipts totalled $244.2 million through November.
The biggest difference in the bills (SB 1963 and HB 3080) from the previous general assembly is an increase in the tax rate from 15% to 25%. Both Castro and Gonzalez would again allow a licensee to have up to “three individually branded internet gaming skins”. That differs from master sports wagering licensees being allowed only one.
The two lawmakers also carried over language into this year’s bills that the Illinois Gaming Board “may not issue an internet gaming licence to an owner’s licensee or an organisation licensee that has reduced the size of its workforce by 25% or more since 28 February 2020.” There is no specific definition of what comprises a “workforce” for a licensee, which is something opponents of the bill – most notably VGT proponents – could seize upon.
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Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/gaming/illinois-online-casino-bills-2025/
