Casinos in Illinois Set to Lobby for State Law Changes

By Jerry Smith Staff Writer Updated: 12/26/2020

Jerry Smith Staff Writer See Full Bio

Jerry’s greatest advantage is his extensive experience on the casino floor. His time as a casino manager taught him everything about what makes a player tick. Besides being a skilled poker player, he has deep knowledge of all live table games and gambling regulations in the US.

Twitter X

Casinos in Illinois Set to Lobby for State Law Changes

Casinos in Illinois have been hit once again by lockdown measures due to rising cases of COVID-19 over recent weeks. With the second wave of the global pandemic gripping the country, the state governor, J.B. Pritzker, announced another state lockdown for businesses including casinos.

According to recent reports, the ten casino properties in Illinois are now looking to lobby for state laws to be changed to help provide further support to the casino industry.

The casino industry in Illinois and across the county has been hit hard this year due to COVID-19 closures, and casino operators hope that some changes to state laws could help to soften the blow moving forward.

Making iGaming Legal

One of the things that casino operators are keen to lobby for is the legalization of iGaming across the state. This is something that is already legal in many other states and that is due to be launched in others.

Mobile casino gaming has gained huge popularity over recent years, and never more so than the past year, which saw many people stuck at home in a lockdown, as well as the closure of land-based sports betting facilities.

Casino officials have said that the havoc caused by the frequent closing and reopening this year has been immeasurable, with huge financial and job losses resulting from this. Online gaming would enable casino operators to continue earning money even in situations where their brick-and-mortar properties are forced to close, as has been the case over much of 2020.

In states where iGaming is already legal, huge amounts of money are generated from online gaming activities. With more and more people turning to this type of entertainment, both casinos and the state are able to financially benefit from this. In a year where casinos have been closed for many months, the income generated from online gaming has rocketed.

The Elimination of In-Person Registration for Sports Betting

Another thing that casino operators and sportsbook operators will be pushing for is the need for in-person registrations for sports betting to be eliminated. Before the lockdowns began, those who wanted to bet on sports online had to first open an account in person at the relevant casino. However, the lockdown and the closure of casinos put an end to this.

As a result, a temporary executive order allowing bettors to register online was introduced earlier this year. This has since been extended on several occasions, based on the ongoing situation with the global pandemic. However, operators now want this requirement to be abolished completely, allowing people in the state to register online permanently.

In a recent interview, Tom Swoik, the executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association, said:

Hopefully, the legislature will consider eliminating the requirement.

At present, operators in Illinois end up waiting with bated breath to find out if and when the order will be extended by the governor. If the need to register in-person at a land-based sportsbook is abolished altogether, this would also eliminate this worry for sportsbook operators.