Illinois’ online gambling plans underwent a further metamorphosis on Friday. A third amendment to HB 4148 (viewable here) still envisions the Illinois Lottery in the role of overseeing online gambling – and setting the rake structure for online poker – but the operations would be delegated to the state’s current gaming license holders while the nuts and bolts of the network would be provided by an as-yet unselected vendor. So long as they’re each willing to submit $5m along with their online gambling license applications, the state’s 16 existing riverboat casinos, race tracks and off-track betting licensees would all be eligible to act as ‘internet gaming affiliates’ on a network run by the Illinois Lottery’s proposed Division of Internet Gaming. Eligibility would be extended to any future gaming operations so licensed by the state. The plan is designed to be intrastate, but the door has been left open for interstate compacts. The Illinois legislature’s current session ends May 31.
In response to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s declaration that his state will proceed with its plans to offer legal sports betting – and his dare to federal authorities and sports leagues to try and stand in his way – the National Football League claims it isn’t (yet) considering potential retaliation in the form of rethinking the decision to hold the 2014 Super Bowl in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. As NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told Yahoo Sports: “Legalized sports gambling beyond where it already existed is prohibited. We are continuing our Super Bowl planning and do not anticipate this having any impact.” However, Aiello added that the league is “opposed to sports wagering that uses our games as bait.” Presumably, the NFL is also adamantly opposed to the role gambling has played in elevating the NFL into the dominant North American sports league. Dance with the one that brung ya, Greg…
