A major gambling expansion in Illinois that will give Chicago its first casino, allow betting on sports and raise money for a massive infrastructure program won final approval on Sunday in the. Legal sports betting has become a reality in Illinois after Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill that legalizes sports wagering late last week. Pritzker was a major component in guiding the bill through the state Legislature, leaving many optimistic about him signing it into law. The gambling bill would allow for a Chicago casino and legal sports betting in Illinois, and slot machines at both city airports. It also would allow smaller casinos in the south suburbs, Waukegan. The target of Robins’s wrath was a bill that massively expands gambling in Illinois, especially in heavily populated Chicago, where residents are passionate about politics and sports in equal.

The clock is now ticking on new gaming opportunities in the Land of Lincoln. On Friday, June 28, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzkersigned an Illinois gambling expansion bill into law.

The new law means gaming operators in Illinois can get to work implementing legal sportsbooks and new casinos in the state. The law raises some new questions, as well.

Illinois gambling expansion timeline

Existing casinos in Illinois can expand their gaming positions to 2,000 immediately. The previous limit was 1,200.

Larger truck stops along with O’Hare and Midway airports will become host sites for new slot and video gambling machines.

No dates for breaking ground on new casinos, like the mega-casino in the Chicago, have been announced. That casino will be the state’s largest, with 4,000 gaming positions.

An estimated date for the groundbreaking at the new casino sites is in a year to 18 months. Those will be in the southern part of Cook County:

• Danville
• Rockford
• Waukegan

Williams County will also host a new casino.

The timeline for the rollout of sports betting is similarly unclear right now. The interested parties still need to determine many aspects of gambling expansion.

Illinois legal sportsbooks getting ready

Though the state will no longer prosecute anyone who bets on professional sports, it will be some time before legal sportsbooks in Illinois will begin accepting wagers.

The state’s gaming board still needs to determine its regulations for sportsbooks. These include determining which applicants will receive one of the limited number of licenses.

Even after licenses are issued, operators will still need time to actually roll out their products. This will include in-person and online sportsbooks.

License fees must be paid by July 1, 2020.

It’s unlikely anything will get going prior to that date. Sports betting in Illinois could be widespread after that date, however.

Lottery, betting, and stadiums

The state’s casinos are the logical choice for most Illinois residents to bet on sports. There will be many more venues to place such wagers, however.

Off-track betting sites and racetracks can apply for licenses. Stadiums of at least 17,000 capacity are eligible as well.

The most widespread operator will be the Illinois Lottery. Thousands of lottery terminals will begin accepting fixed odds parlays and parlays within the first two years.

Even so, the most convenient betting option with be online sports betting apps. Those will be licensed by the state as well. There are some hoops they will have to jump through, however.

Illinois online sports betting

Land-based casinos will be able to offer mobile betting platforms once licensed. Bettors have to register in person before placing wagers, however.

Online-only sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel won’t be able to receive licenses from the state for 540 days, but they can contract with physical operators in the state prior to that date.

If such relationships do develop, bettors would technically be using the casino’s book via DraftKings’ and/or FanDuel’s software.

The legal hurdles preventing gambling expansion in Illinois has been removed with Pritzker’s signature. Now it’s time for the gaming operators to get the infrastructure in place so Illinois residents can place their bets.

Legal sports betting has become a reality in Illinois after Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill that legalizes sports wagering late last week.

Il Sports Betting Bill

Pritzker was a major component in guiding the bill through the state Legislature, leaving many optimistic about him signing it into law. His “Bill Signing Tour” made a stop in Springfield this past Friday to complete one of the most comprehensive legislation that seemed unlikely to pass at first.

It seemed like a tough process for lawmakers topush it through the committee, but it eventually came together in the finaldays of the 2019 legislative session.

Il Sports Gambling Bills

The state Senate worked on SB 690past the deadline to finalize the specifics for legalizing sports betting in the state and combined it with a larger casino expansion bill that the Senate had been trying to push for several months.

The new law gives authorization to statecasinos, racetracks, and sporting event venues to allow sports wagering.

Accepted applicants must pay a license fee of$10 million every four years. Projections from the Legislature suggest thatsports betting will produce $240 million of one-time licensing fees.

Illinois sports betting details

The Illinois sports betting bill also has itsrestrictions; however, stakeholders believe the benefits outweigh itsdrawbacks.

Betting is still not allowed on games involving Illinoiscollege sports teams, but sportsbooks will be offered at major sporting venueslike MLB’s Cubs that play at Wrigley Field and the White Sox stadium atGuaranteed Rate Field. Other designated sporting venues for sports wageringinclude the Chicago Bears’ Soldier Field (NFL) and NHL’s Blackhawks that playat the United Center.

The bill requires official league data to beused to take wagers placed for in-game betting and prop betting, which a feewill be applied.

Established online mobile app-based sportsbooksmay not be too happy about part of the bill since sportsbook operators with nophysical presence must wait a year and a half to operate at existingcasinos.

Large online sportsbooks like DraftKings andFanDuel would be affected as they would not be able to accept wagers on itsexisting platforms until January 2021.

After agreeing to launch a million-dollar TV adcampaign together, DraftKings and FanDuel would eventually pull the ad that wasin the works, which targeted the Rivers Casino at the governor’s request.

How it all went down

Lawmakers Bon Rita and Terry Link had quite atask on their hands to combine sports wagering with the larger casino expansionbill. It took several weeks for lawmakers to come to an agreement as they wouldn’tsupport a standalone sports betting bill without expanding on the gamingindustry.

Fears were brewing that it would be too large topass but due to the increased popularity of sports betting in the U.S., theywere able to push it through. In addition, existing casinos were hoping for astandalone bill for sports betting instead of merging it with the casinoexpansion bill and noted that a financial loss is expected.

Therefore, more casinos are expected to open asa result of the new law enacted. Rita is credited for leading the negotiationsfor the bill and was a key player for casino expansion in her previous years inthe House.

What’s next for Illinois

Illinois is now the fifth state this year tosign a sports betting bill, joining states like Montana, Iowa, andTennessee.

Il Sports Gambling Law

The goal for licensed sportsbooks to launch inIllinois is early 2020 in time for Super Bowl 54 on February 2 in Miami,Florida.

Il Sports Gambling Bill

Pretty soon, fans in the sixth-most populousstate can look forward to placing bets on their favorite teams at therespective arenas and casinos.

Until then, to see what’s next for Illinois and the other states across the country, check out our US sports betting bill tracker for all of the real-time updates on the legalization of sports wagering.