Illinois Governor Jay Robert Pritzker has signed a new safer gambling bill into law, highlighting the fact that his team is taking problem gambling very seriously. The new measure would expand gambling education and reinforce prevention and treatment initiatives.
The Bill Seeks to Shield Illinois Residents from Problem Gambling
The new measure, Senate Bill 2749, was signed by Gov. Pritzker on July 24. The measure introduces changes to Illinois’ Substance Use Disorder Act that acknowledge the threat of gambling disorders and align the state’s public health strategy accordingly. To that end, the new amendments will champion improved education, prevention and treatment for vulnerable players.
Speaking of education, the bill will have the Illinois Department of Human Services and the State Board of Education work together on new problem gambling awareness and education initiatives for schools.
In addition to that, SB 2749 will see the state take gambling problems more seriously, adopting a stronger response to such disorders. One of the key highlights is that the state will improve its screening and treatment endeavors, as well as gambling-related suicide prevention initiatives.
Under the new bill, Illinois will also fund new statewide awareness campaigns.
Illinois Attempts to Legalize iGaming, Introduces Prediction Markets Tax
The passing of SB 2749 comes months after other gambling-related legislative changes, including changes to how the state taxes gambling operators and a new surcharge on bets. Some of these measures were fairly controversial, prompting strong pushback from the gaming sector.
At the same time, lawmakers’ efforts to get iGaming legalized continue. While many US jurisdictions have online sports betting, most states have remained firmly opposed to online casinos. Still, there have been multiple attempts to change that. House Bill 4797 in Illinois is one such measure.
As of the time of this writing, HB 4797 remains stuck in the Rules Committee.
In other news, Illinois recently signed Senate Bill 3019 into law, introducing a new tax on prediction market transactions and a tax rise on sports betting operators. This measure, however, was challenged by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which insists that it has the exclusive right to regulate and tax prediction markets at a federal level.
Prediction markets continue to be a divisive matter, with feuds between state authorities and the CFTC continuing to this day.