Illinois to Legalize Online Casinos for Real Money Eventually, AG Says

The Attorney General of Illinois, Kwame Raoul, said on Thursday last week that the state will be seeing the arrival of online casinos before long.

The type you can play for real money, he clarified. This is not the first time an AG has weighed in on gambling matters, with California’s own Attorney General, Rob Bonta, blasting sweepstakes as an illegal form of online casinos.

Now, AG Raoul, speaking at the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States, allowed himself to deliver pertinent remarks, explaining that iGaming was a natural continuation of the state’s sports betting vertical, and that he felt strongly that online casinos were coming.

Illinois is already running a thriving market that involves a state lottery, mobile sportsbooks, and video lottery terminals, but so far, the state has mostly been skittish about iGaming as such. Illinois has, however, raised the tax on sports betting, looking to collect more money from each wager placed at sportsbooks, which the bookies have chosen to simply pass on to players.

Raoul is confident that legalization would come in 2026, with lawmakers finally ready to move forward. One early sign is the rise of sports betting revenue. Lawmakers are now cognizant of a simple truth – that they can raise a lot more taxable income through the introduction of online gaming.

Public Deficit and the iGaming Tax Lifeline

Pro-iGaming advocates are also insisting that the arrival of online casinos would not cannibalize gaming revenue from land-based venues, and only serve to boost the overall output when it comes to gross gaming revenue.

Illinois is increasingly struggling with its public deficit, and the state is committed to tackling the debt pile in any way it sees fit. Legalizing gambling at a time when interest in the activity is surging is a win for the state, or so proponents argue.

On the one hand, Illinois players are going to have options at home rather than seek offshore alternatives, and on the other,  it is allowing for raising the much-needed funds. Yet for these plans to succeed, lawmakers will have to agree on a working framework for gambling revenue.