Proponents of legal, regulated real money online poker in Illinois are certain to face skeptics in the General Assembly when they try to get a bill legalizing poker and online casinos across the finish line this year.
Whether or not detractors of expanded igaming prevail (again) remains to be seen.
For starters, consider that the state generated a record $2 billion from all gaming sources during the 2023 fiscal year — and has only shown interest in making more.
Two nearly identical igaming expansion bills are making their way through various committees, one in the House and one in the Senate. Both bills would let qualified licensees (land-based casinos and horse racetracks) have three skins for poker and casino, taxed at 15%.
The bills have bipartisan support — but there’s opposition, too. And it’s a safe bet that most of the phone calls and emails lawmakers are receiving are from thousands of businesses that invested in video gaming terminals (VGTs).
