Ho Hum, Illinois Is Dragging Its Feet On Gambling Yet Again
(SOURCE)
State gambling regulators expect to release license applications for potential sports betting operators next month, marking the first major step toward launching the industry in Illinois since it was legalized over the summer.
Illinois Gaming Board administrator Marcus Fruchter announced Thursday the applications will be available on or before the agency’s next board meeting Dec. 19 “barring any unforeseen circumstances.”
It’s not clear how long it will take the Gaming Board to process applications and issue sports wagering licenses, which will cost up to $10 million each and, for the first 18 months of the industry’s rollout, are limited to casinos, horse racetracks and large sports arenas.
After that 18-month “penalty box” period, online-only betting sites such as FanDuel and DraftKings will be able to apply for licenses at a whopping $20 million apiece.
All Fuckhead Pete was in the office yesterday setting up new A/V equipment for us. Ya’ll are about to get a heavier dose of WSD mainlined directly into your blood streams. Hopefully. But in the midst of us bullying him per direct orders from Erika Nardini, we actually did have a serious conversation or two. Naturally one of them was about gambling, how Indiana legalized it and had it operating in like 3 hours, and how Illinois is dragging its feet on it. Because of course Illinois is.
Look, I love Chicago. Ryan Whitney described Chicago perfectly:
But our politics and leadership SUCK. They suck on a micro level in Chicago and they suck on a macro level in Illinois. Everyone and their mother knows that. 4 of Illinois’ last 7 governors have been imprisoned for being corrupt assholes.
Now obviously the legalization of gambling isn’t an issue of corruption, just like the legalization of weed isn’t, but it’s so goddamn dumb that Illinois can’t get this shit up and running. Again, courtesy of this google screen shot, data shows Illinois owes a fuck ton of money and can’t pay it:
You’d think those in power would be chomping at the bit to legalize anything that would be an easy revenue stream. Ha! Not Illinois. There are 10,000 other mundane issues they can focus on instead. Like charging $0.07 for a plastic bag at Mariano’s or taxing the purchase of pop. Smfh
It’s funny because there were whispers gambling would be functional for this football season. As in we could walk into an Illinois sports book, bet the Bears, lose our money, and walk out of said book for the 2019 season.
Nope! Facilities can’t even apply for the licenses for a few more weeks and once they do, there’s no telling how long it’ll take for the applications to be processed. I’m guessing that if we can walk into a book and lose our money betting on the Bears for the start of the 2020 season we’ll be lucky, ya know, because Illinois.
Every day that goes that we can’t lose our money betting on sports is money out of the state’s pockets. I hate Illinois. Most of the time. Summertime Chi you’re cool though.