Illinois political inertia leaves online gambling on life support

Online gambling legalization hopes are fading in Illinois as the clock counts down to the end of the current legislative session.

The Illinois state senate stunned observers on the last day of May by approving online casino, poker and daily fantasy sports legislation with little advance notice. With a full month to go before the legislature adjourned for the summer, all that was needed was a similar vote in the state House and Gov. Bruce Rauner’s signature.

And then, nothing. The House Executive Committee eventually scheduled a meeting for last Saturday to discuss the issue, then rescheduled for Tuesday, then rescheduled again for Wednesday. But the Wednesday hearing came and went without debate or votes on either online gambling or DFS.

Poker Players Alliance exec John Pappas was in attendance at Wednesday’s hearing, but Pappas poured a big bucket of cold water over the state’s online gamblers by tweeting that the “wheels have come off” the online gambling and DFS bills. “Folks are regrouping and may try this again in a few weeks.”