State Rep. Edgar Gonzalez Jr. (D-Chicago) is determined to bring legalized iGaming to The Prairie State.
Speaking to Poker Industry PRO earlier this week, Gonzalez said that despite the failure of recent online casino bills, he's determined to reintroduce iGaming legislation in 2025.
“Our priority this session was the budget, and although igaming was presented as a potential new revenue stream for the state, members of the House and Senate were wary of its implementation, especially after VGTs [video gaming terminals] expressed opposition to the bill,” Gonzalez told PRO on Monday.
Seven US states have legalized iGaming, allowing licensed gambling operators to offer real-money casino games online and via mobile platforms.
While Gonzalez and other Illinois legislators have previously introduced bills that would allow the state to join the iGaming pack, attempts to bring online casinos to the state never materialized.
In Feb. 2023, Gonzalez introduced House Bill 2239. It took nearly a year to have the bill assigned to the House Gaming Committee, where it was then referred to the House Rules Committee. However, the bill failed to pass the committee and never made it to a vote.
A similar bill, Senate Bill 1565, was sponsored by State Sen. Cristina Castro and introduced several times. But much like Gonzalez’s legislation attempts, it failed to make it past the committee.
Both bills proposed that online casino operators licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board would operate up to three ‘skins’ and pay a 15% tax on Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR).
Illinois won't see any progress in iGaming legislation until the General Assembly meets in January. At that time, both Gonzalez and Castro could reintroduce their bills to the assembly.
