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Illinois House Bill HB2878

Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HB2878 Compare Versions

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11 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2878 Introduced , by Rep. Robert "Bob" Rita SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 230 ILCS 45/25-10230 ILCS 45/25-45 Amends the Sports Wagering Act. Provides that applicants for a master sports wagering license shall pay an application fee of $250,000 and a license fee of $15,000,000. Removes provisions concerning the number of master sports wagering licenses to online sports wagering operators and public notice requirements. Provides that a master sports wagering licensee may conduct sports wagering over the Internet or through a mobile application. Removes provisions concerning eligibility requirements for a master sports wagering license, the duty of disclosure for an applicant, and outreach requirements for the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Gaming Board. Makes a conforming change. Effective immediately. LRB104 07766 LNS 17811 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2878 Introduced , by Rep. Robert "Bob" Rita SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 230 ILCS 45/25-10230 ILCS 45/25-45 230 ILCS 45/25-10 230 ILCS 45/25-45 Amends the Sports Wagering Act. Provides that applicants for a master sports wagering license shall pay an application fee of $250,000 and a license fee of $15,000,000. Removes provisions concerning the number of master sports wagering licenses to online sports wagering operators and public notice requirements. Provides that a master sports wagering licensee may conduct sports wagering over the Internet or through a mobile application. Removes provisions concerning eligibility requirements for a master sports wagering license, the duty of disclosure for an applicant, and outreach requirements for the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Gaming Board. Makes a conforming change. Effective immediately. LRB104 07766 LNS 17811 b LRB104 07766 LNS 17811 b A BILL FOR
22 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2878 Introduced , by Rep. Robert "Bob" Rita SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
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66 Amends the Sports Wagering Act. Provides that applicants for a master sports wagering license shall pay an application fee of $250,000 and a license fee of $15,000,000. Removes provisions concerning the number of master sports wagering licenses to online sports wagering operators and public notice requirements. Provides that a master sports wagering licensee may conduct sports wagering over the Internet or through a mobile application. Removes provisions concerning eligibility requirements for a master sports wagering license, the duty of disclosure for an applicant, and outreach requirements for the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Gaming Board. Makes a conforming change. Effective immediately.
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1212 1 AN ACT concerning gaming.
1313 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
1414 3 represented in the General Assembly:
1515 4 Section 5. The Sports Wagering Act is amended by changing
1616 5 Sections 25-10 and 25-45 as follows:
1717 6 (230 ILCS 45/25-10)
1818 7 Sec. 25-10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
1919 8 "Adjusted gross sports wagering receipts" means a master
2020 9 sports wagering licensee's gross sports wagering receipts,
2121 10 less winnings paid to wagerers in such games.
2222 11 "Athlete" means any current or former professional athlete
2323 12 or collegiate athlete.
2424 13 "Board" means the Illinois Gaming Board.
2525 14 "Covered persons" includes athletes; umpires, referees,
2626 15 and officials; personnel associated with clubs, teams,
2727 16 leagues, and athletic associations; medical professionals
2828 17 (including athletic trainers) who provide services to athletes
2929 18 and players; and the family members and associates of these
3030 19 persons where required to serve the purposes of this Act.
3131 20 "Department" means the Department of the Lottery.
3232 21 "Gaming facility" means a facility at which gambling
3333 22 operations are conducted under the Illinois Gambling Act,
3434 23 pari-mutuel wagering is conducted under the Illinois Horse
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4242 Amends the Sports Wagering Act. Provides that applicants for a master sports wagering license shall pay an application fee of $250,000 and a license fee of $15,000,000. Removes provisions concerning the number of master sports wagering licenses to online sports wagering operators and public notice requirements. Provides that a master sports wagering licensee may conduct sports wagering over the Internet or through a mobile application. Removes provisions concerning eligibility requirements for a master sports wagering license, the duty of disclosure for an applicant, and outreach requirements for the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Gaming Board. Makes a conforming change. Effective immediately.
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7171 1 Racing Act of 1975, or sports wagering is conducted under this
7272 2 Act.
7373 3 "Official league data" means statistics, results,
7474 4 outcomes, and other data related to a sports event obtained
7575 5 pursuant to an agreement with the relevant sports governing
7676 6 body, or an entity expressly authorized by the sports
7777 7 governing body to provide such information to licensees, that
7878 8 authorizes the use of such data for determining the outcome of
7979 9 tier 2 sports wagers on such sports events.
8080 10 "Organization licensee" has the meaning given to that term
8181 11 in the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975.
8282 12 "Owners licensee" means the holder of an owners license
8383 13 under the Illinois Gambling Act.
8484 14 "Person" means an individual, partnership, committee,
8585 15 association, corporation, or any other organization or group
8686 16 of persons.
8787 17 "Personal biometric data" means an athlete's information
8888 18 derived from DNA, heart rate, blood pressure, perspiration
8989 19 rate, internal or external body temperature, hormone levels,
9090 20 glucose levels, hydration levels, vitamin levels, bone
9191 21 density, muscle density, and sleep patterns.
9292 22 "Prohibited conduct" includes any statement, action, and
9393 23 other communication intended to influence, manipulate, or
9494 24 control a betting outcome of a sporting contest or of any
9595 25 individual occurrence or performance in a sporting contest in
9696 26 exchange for financial gain or to avoid financial or physical
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107107 1 harm. "Prohibited conduct" includes statements, actions, and
108108 2 communications made to a covered person by a third party, such
109109 3 as a family member or through social media. "Prohibited
110110 4 conduct" does not include statements, actions, or
111111 5 communications made or sanctioned by a team or sports
112112 6 governing body.
113113 7 "Qualified applicant" means an applicant for a license
114114 8 under this Act whose application meets the mandatory minimum
115115 9 qualification criteria as required by the Board.
116116 10 "Sporting contest" means a sports event or game on which
117117 11 the State allows sports wagering to occur under this Act.
118118 12 "Sports event" means a professional sport or athletic
119119 13 event, a collegiate sport or athletic event, a motor race
120120 14 event, or any other event or competition of relative skill
121121 15 authorized by the Board under this Act.
122122 16 "Sports facility" means a facility that hosts sports
123123 17 events and holds a seating capacity greater than 17,000
124124 18 persons, except in a municipality with a population of more
125125 19 than 1,000,000, a seating capacity greater than 10,000
126126 20 persons.
127127 21 "Sports governing body" means the organization that
128128 22 prescribes final rules and enforces codes of conduct with
129129 23 respect to a sports event and participants therein.
130130 24 "Sports wagering" means accepting wagers on sports events
131131 25 or portions of sports events, or on the individual performance
132132 26 statistics of athletes in a sports event or combination of
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143143 1 sports events, by any system or method of wagering, including,
144144 2 but not limited to, in person or over the Internet through
145145 3 websites and on mobile devices. "Sports wagering" includes,
146146 4 but is not limited to, single-game bets, teaser bets, parlays,
147147 5 over-under, moneyline, pools, exchange wagering, in-game
148148 6 wagering, in-play bets, proposition bets, and straight bets.
149149 7 "Sports wagering account" means a financial record
150150 8 established by a master sports wagering licensee for an
151151 9 individual patron in which the patron may deposit and withdraw
152152 10 funds for sports wagering and other authorized purchases and
153153 11 to which the master sports wagering licensee may credit
154154 12 winnings or other amounts due to that patron or authorized by
155155 13 that patron.
156156 14 "Tier 1 sports wager" means a sports wager that is
157157 15 determined solely by the final score or final outcome of the
158158 16 sports event and is placed before the sports event has begun.
159159 17 "Tier 2 sports wager" means a sports wager that is not a
160160 18 tier 1 sports wager.
161161 19 "Wager" means a sum of money or thing of value risked on an
162162 20 uncertain occurrence.
163163 21 "Winning bidder" means a qualified applicant for a master
164164 22 sports wagering license chosen through the competitive
165165 23 selection process under Section 25-45.
166166 24 (Source: P.A. 101-31, eff. 6-28-19; 102-689, eff. 12-17-21.)
167167 25 (230 ILCS 45/25-45)
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178178 1 Sec. 25-45. Master sports wagering license issued to an
179179 2 online sports wagering operator.
180180 3 (a) The Board may issue master sports wagering licenses to
181181 4 persons to conduct sports wagering over the Internet or
182182 5 through a mobile application. The Board shall issue 3 master
183183 6 sports wagering licenses to online sports wagering operators
184184 7 for a nonrefundable license fee of $20,000,000 pursuant to an
185185 8 open and competitive selection process. The master sports
186186 9 wagering license issued under this Section may be renewed
187187 10 every 4 years upon payment of a $1,000,000 renewal fee. To the
188188 11 extent permitted by federal and State law, the Board shall
189189 12 actively seek to achieve racial, ethnic, and geographic
190190 13 diversity when issuing master sports wagering licenses under
191191 14 this Section and encourage minority-owned businesses,
192192 15 women-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses, and
193193 16 businesses owned by persons with disabilities to apply for
194194 17 licensure.
195195 18 For the purposes of this subsection (a), "minority-owned
196196 19 business", "women-owned business", and "business owned by
197197 20 persons with disabilities" have the meanings given to those
198198 21 terms in Section 2 of the Business Enterprise for Minorities,
199199 22 Women, and Persons with Disabilities Act.
200200 23 (b) Applicants shall pay to the Board a nonrefundable
201201 24 application fee in the amount of $250,000. The initial license
202202 25 fee for a master sports wagering license issued to an online
203203 26 sports wagering operator is $15,000,000. The master sports
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214214 1 wagering license is valid for 4 years. Applications for the
215215 2 initial competitive selection occurring after the effective
216216 3 date of this Act shall be received by the Board within 540 days
217217 4 after the first license is issued under this Act to qualify.
218218 5 The Board shall announce the winning bidders for the initial
219219 6 competitive selection within 630 days after the first license
220220 7 is issued under this Act, and this time frame may be extended
221221 8 at the discretion of the Board.
222222 9 (c) A licensee may renew the master sports wagering
223223 10 license for a period of 4 years by paying a $1,000,000 renewal
224224 11 fee to the Board. The Board shall provide public notice of its
225225 12 intent to solicit applications for master sports wagering
226226 13 licenses under this Section by posting the notice, application
227227 14 instructions, and materials on its website for at least 30
228228 15 calendar days before the applications are due. Failure by an
229229 16 applicant to submit all required information may result in the
230230 17 application being disqualified. The Board may notify an
231231 18 applicant that its application is incomplete and provide an
232232 19 opportunity to cure by rule. Application instructions shall
233233 20 include a brief overview of the selection process and how
234234 21 applications are scored.
235235 22 (d) A master sports wagering licensee may conduct sports
236236 23 wagering over the Internet or through a mobile application. To
237237 24 be eligible for a master sports wagering license under this
238238 25 Section, an applicant must: (1) be at least 21 years of age;
239239 26 (2) not have been convicted of a felony offense or a violation
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250250 1 of Article 28 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code
251251 2 of 2012 or a similar statute of any other jurisdiction; (3) not
252252 3 have been convicted of a crime involving dishonesty or moral
253253 4 turpitude; (4) have demonstrated a level of skill or knowledge
254254 5 that the Board determines to be necessary in order to operate
255255 6 sports wagering; and (5) have met standards for the holding of
256256 7 a license as adopted by rules of the Board.
257257 8 The Board may adopt rules to establish additional
258258 9 qualifications and requirements to preserve the integrity and
259259 10 security of sports wagering in this State and to promote and
260260 11 maintain a competitive sports wagering market. After the close
261261 12 of the application period, the Board shall determine whether
262262 13 the applications meet the mandatory minimum qualification
263263 14 criteria and conduct a comprehensive, fair, and impartial
264264 15 evaluation of all qualified applications.
265265 16 (e) (Blank). The Board shall open all qualified
266266 17 applications in a public forum and disclose the applicants'
267267 18 names. The Board shall summarize the terms of the proposals
268268 19 and make the summaries available to the public on its website.
269269 20 (f) (Blank). Not more than 90 days after the publication
270270 21 of the qualified applications, the Board shall identify the
271271 22 winning bidders. In granting the licenses, the Board may give
272272 23 favorable consideration to qualified applicants presenting
273273 24 plans that provide for economic development and community
274274 25 engagement. To the extent permitted by federal and State law,
275275 26 the Board may give favorable consideration to qualified
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286286 1 applicants demonstrating commitment to diversity in the
287287 2 workplace.
288288 3 (g) (Blank). Upon selection of the winning bidders, the
289289 4 Board shall have a reasonable period of time to ensure
290290 5 compliance with all applicable statutory and regulatory
291291 6 criteria before issuing the licenses. If the Board determines
292292 7 a winning bidder does not satisfy all applicable statutory and
293293 8 regulatory criteria, the Board shall select another bidder
294294 9 from the remaining qualified applicants.
295295 10 (h) (Blank). Nothing in this Section is intended to confer
296296 11 a property or other right, duty, privilege, or interest
297297 12 entitling an applicant to an administrative hearing upon
298298 13 denial of an application.
299299 14 (i) (Blank). Upon issuance of a master sports wagering
300300 15 license to a winning bidder, the information and plans
301301 16 provided in the application become a condition of the license.
302302 17 A master sports wagering licensee under this Section has a
303303 18 duty to disclose any material changes to the application.
304304 19 Failure to comply with the conditions or requirements in the
305305 20 application may subject the master sports wagering licensee
306306 21 under this Section to discipline, including, but not limited
307307 22 to, fines, suspension, and revocation of its license, pursuant
308308 23 to rules adopted by the Board.
309309 24 (j) (Blank). The Board shall disseminate information about
310310 25 the licensing process through media demonstrated to reach
311311 26 large numbers of business owners and entrepreneurs who are
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322322 1 minorities, women, veterans, and persons with disabilities.
323323 2 (k) (Blank). The Department of Commerce and Economic
324324 3 Opportunity, in conjunction with the Board, shall conduct
325325 4 ongoing, thorough, and comprehensive outreach to businesses
326326 5 owned by minorities, women, veterans, and persons with
327327 6 disabilities about contracting and entrepreneurial
328328 7 opportunities in sports wagering. This outreach shall include,
329329 8 but not be limited to:
330330 9 (1) cooperating and collaborating with other State
331331 10 boards, commissions, and agencies; public and private
332332 11 universities and community colleges; and local governments
333333 12 to target outreach efforts; and
334334 13 (2) working with organizations serving minorities,
335335 14 women, and persons with disabilities to establish and
336336 15 conduct training for employment in sports wagering.
337337 16 (l) (Blank). The Board shall partner with the Department
338338 17 of Labor, the Department of Financial and Professional
339339 18 Regulation, and the Department of Commerce and Economic
340340 19 Opportunity to identify employment opportunities within the
341341 20 sports wagering industry for job seekers and dislocated
342342 21 workers.
343343 22 (m) By March 1, 2020, the Board shall prepare a request for
344344 23 proposals to conduct a study of the online sports wagering
345345 24 industry and market to determine whether there is a compelling
346346 25 interest in implementing remedial measures, including the
347347 26 application of the Business Enterprise Program under the
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358358 1 Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and Persons with
359359 2 Disabilities Act or a similar program to assist minorities,
360360 3 women, and persons with disabilities in the sports wagering
361361 4 industry.
362362 5 As a part of the study, the Board shall evaluate race and
363363 6 gender-neutral programs or other methods that may be used to
364364 7 address the needs of minority and women applicants and
365365 8 minority-owned and women-owned businesses seeking to
366366 9 participate in the sports wagering industry. The Board shall
367367 10 submit to the General Assembly and publish on its website the
368368 11 results of this study by August 1, 2020.
369369 12 If, as a result of the study conducted under this
370370 13 subsection (m), the Board finds that there is a compelling
371371 14 interest in implementing remedial measures, the Board may
372372 15 adopt rules, including emergency rules, to implement remedial
373373 16 measures, if necessary and to the extent permitted by State
374374 17 and federal law, based on the findings of the study conducted
375375 18 under this subsection (m).
376376 19 (Source: P.A. 101-31, eff. 6-28-19.)
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