Illinois is going to take a serious at look at a major gaming expansion during a pair of scheduled hearings in the coming months, according to a key lawmaker in the House of Representatives.
State Rep. Bob Rita, who heads the House subcommittees on Gaming, and Sales and Other Taxes — announced that hearings would be held on:
Lawmakers would not vote on any proposal until after the November elections.
In the hearings, Rita expects to tackle online poker, online casino, sports betting and daily fantasy sports.
“As I have said from the beginning in working on this issue, gaming expansion presents many tremendous opportunities to create revenue, jobs and economic growth in Illinois,” Rita said in a press release.
“The gaming landscape has changed significantly since I took on this issue five years ago, and I want to use these hearings to understand how those changes present new opportunities for us to put the right package together as we look to meet budget needs and provide a spark for our economy.”
DFS has been on the legislature’s radar since 2015, but it has failed to formally legalize the activity.
The Illinois Senate also passed a bill that would have legalized online casinos and poker in 2017, but the House did not vote on the legislation.