Illinois sports betting stopped almost immediately after it began due to the closure of the state’s casinos in response to Covid-19. The BetRivers Sportsbook opened March 9 at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, followed by the Sportsbook at the Argosy Casino in Alton on March 12. Governor J.B. Pritzker’s issued an executive stay-at-home order on March 21 and recently extended that to April 30.
However, in a recent meeting lasting less than 10 minutes, the Illinois legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules certified without objection the Illinois Gaming Board’s Phase 2 rules package. The rules give priority to sports betting operator’s applications that can produce the most revenue for the state. The rules also emphasize an applicant’s character and commitment to ownership diversity, plus training and employing minority workers.
This was the first formal first step toward codifying and registering certain casino gambling applicant rules with the Secretary of State. The public commentary period for the Rules 2 package is occurring now. The rules most likely will be addressed more specifically at the committee’s April 21 meeting or in May.
