• About Us / Contact
  • Responsible Gambling
This site contains commercial content
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News
No Result
View All Result
SportsHandle
No Result
View All Result

IL Lawmaker: It Will Be A ‘Failure’ If Sports Betting Doesn’t Become Law

Jill R. Dorson by Jill R. Dorson
February 27, 2019
in Regulation
illinois sports betting legislation
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Mike Zalewski is a baseball fan. Chicago White Sox, if we’re getting specific. So, it’s only natural that he likens the path to legalized sports betting Illinois to the flow of America’s pastime.

“The sessions run very similar to the first half of a baseball season, we’re in spring training, the really early part, like pitchers and catchers, right now,” he said. “People are getting into Springfield, people are getting to know their staffs and March and April are kind of spring training games, learning how to get bills out of committee.”

Zalewski (D-District 23), the Chairman of the House Committee on Finance and Revenue, already knows his way around the capital, and he’s not only working on a sports betting bill, but along with Representative Bob Rita (D-District 28), who held comprehensive hearings in the fall, he’s preparing to make legal Illinois sports betting a reality with legislation onto new Governor J.B. Pritzker’s desk by May.

“March and April will be used for hearings, and then come May, it will be time go, to start passing things,” he said. “We’re trying to get something on his desk by end of May.”

Governor included sports betting in budget

There appears to be no question that Pritzker will sign sports betting legislation after tasking state lawmakers in his state of the state address to “take this up immediately,” and he included $200 million in sports betting revenue in his budget.

Illinois @GovPritzker delivers his first budget address on Wednesday. The new Governor inherited a $3.2b hole in the the state budget, which he hopes to plug by taxing marijuana and sports betting in order to avoid raising income taxes. https://t.co/7HG8CV9gMI pic.twitter.com/kUFphCmixa

— MultiState Associates (@MultiStateAssoc) February 25, 2019

Continuing with the baseball analogy, Zalewski is assembling his team. In addition to Rita, he has a powerhouse player in the Senate, Toi Hutchinson (D-District 40), the Chairman of the Senate Revenue Committee. Zalewski said it doesn’t matter whose name is on the bill when sports betting legislation is filed this session, rather, that the key players will have come together to craft a bill that mollifies all of the stakeholders.

That said, Zalewski isn’t ready to talk about a tax structure or rate, but he did promise mobile and at least inferred that it’s highly unlikely that an Illinois sports betting bill will include any sort of payout to the professional leagues.

“The royalty fee or integrity fee drives everybody crazy, it’s very much catnip in this dialogue,” Zalewski said. “We have two teams playing in taxpayer-funded (White Sox at Comiskey Field and Bears at Soldier Field) properties, and the Cubs have redeveloped the south side, and the Bulls who invested money. Sports and politics are intrinsically connected in Chicago, so we can’t just impose something on them.”

Lawmaker believes time is right for legal IL sports betting

There is currently one bill in the state legislature, sponsored by Senator Napoleon Harris, a former NFL linebacker, that does include a so-called “integrity” fee and a 12.5 percent tax on adjusted gross revenue. It is a mirror image of the bill Harris introduced in 2018, and it’s unlikely that it will get serious consideration.

From Zalewski’s standpoint, all the stars are in alignment, and though Illinois isn’t know for moving gaming expansion quickly through its legislature, this year sure seems like the year.

“If we don’t get this done by June, it will be a failure of the legislature, because we have the momentum,” Zalewski said. “Hope to have it up and running by the end of the year, but there are a lot of challenges.”

Share28TweetShare
Jill R. Dorson

Jill R. Dorson

Jill has covered everything from steeplechase to the NFL and then some during a more than 30-year career in sports journalism. The highlight of her career was covering Oakland Raiders during the Charles Woodson/Jon Gruden era, including the infamous “Snow Bowl” and the Raiders’ 2003 trip to Super Bowl XXXVII. Her specialty these days is covering sports betting legislation across the country. You can reach Jill at [email protected]

Related Posts

Illinois statehouse
Legislation

Illinois Bill To Add Responsible Gambling Pop-Up Message Passes Senate Committee

March 8, 2023
$10 billion U.S. Handle
Analysis

Breaking Down November’s $10 Billion Nationwide Sports Wagering Handle

February 6, 2023
Load More

Top Stories

taylor mathis

Taylor Mathis Got Sacrificed At The Altar Of Responsible Gambling

March 20, 2023
fanduel baseball wall

Premade Same Game Parlays Are Sucker Bets

March 13, 2023
maginfier-over-small-print

Read The Fine Print: A Proposed Federal Rule Could Change Everything For Indian Gaming

March 6, 2023
roman reigns wwe

Colorado Denies Report Stating That It’s Considering WWE Wagering

March 8, 2023

State Sports Betting Guides

Ohio (U.S. state) flag waving against clear blue sky, close up, isolated with clipping path mask alpha channel transparency, perfect for film, news, composition

Ohio Sports Betting – Where To Play, Bonus Offers And Promo Codes

by Brian Pempus
March 30, 2023

Downtown Detroit at twilight (Shutterstock)

Michigan Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
March 27, 2023

VA captial

Virginia Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonus Offers

by Brett Smiley
January 17, 2023

nj flag

New Jersey Sports Betting — Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks, And FAQ

by Brett Smiley
March 22, 2023

pa online sportsbooks

Pennsylvania Sports Betting – Where To Play, Online Sportsbooks And Bonuses

by Brett Smiley
October 6, 2022

Canada Sports Betting Guides

Canada Sports Betting – Best Sportsbook Apps & Bonus Offers

British Columbia Sports Betting – Legal Update, Available Sportsbooks, and FAQ

Ontario Sports Betting – Legal Status And Where To Play

SportsHandle

  • Analysis
  • Casino
  • Features
  • Horse Racing
  • Industry
  • Legal
  • Legislation
  • Opinion
  • Podcasts
  • Poker
  • Politics
  • Promotions
  • Regulation
  • Sports
  • Uncategorized

Better Collective

This website is owned and operated by Better Collective USA. Trademarks and copyrights referenced on this website are and shall remain the exclusive property of their respective owners and/or licensors. Please be sure to visit the operator’s website(s) to review their terms & conditions. We advise you to read these carefully as they contain important information. Copyright © 2023 USBets.com | Better Collective USA
21 Play Responsibly
Gamble Aware West Virginia
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
GameSense

Search Sports Handle

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us / Contact
  • Responsible Gambling

No Result
View All Result
  • US Sports Betting
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Louisiana
    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Mississippi
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Virginia
    • West Virginia
    • Wyoming
  • Pending States
    • California
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Missouri
    • North Carolina
  • Canada
    • Ontario
    • British Columbia
    • Alberta
  • Sportsbook Apps
    • FanDuel
    • BetMGM
    • Caesars
    • PointsBet
    • BetRivers
  • Tools
    • Sportsbook Bonuses Explained
    • Sports Betting Revenue Tracker
    • Sports Betting Podcasts
    • Partnership Tracker
    • Expected Value
    • Sports Scores And Odds Apps
    • Sports Betting Twitter
  • News