Chicago Sports Betting Ban Remains, But City Officials Motion to Lift Restriction
Chicago sports betting within the urban center limits remains a prohibited activity, but some officials are hoping to shortly death that regulation.
Illinois legalized sports betting inwards 2019. It came by path of a major gaming expansion package signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) that authorized Phoebe regional casinos inward Chicago’s southern suburbs, as fountainhead as a larger integrated holiday resort inwards the Windy City’s downtown.
Legal sports betting, however, cannot occur inward Windy City until the City Council passes an ordinance to allow such gambling. Aldermen Bruno Walter Burnett (27th Ward) and Brian Sir Anthony Philip Hopkins (2nd Ward) this hebdomad proposed a evaluate to oddment the sports betting ban.
The ordinance, if approved, would grant the city’s professional sports stadiums to pursue sports betting licenses, as permitted under the tell sports gaming law. The resolving covers Wrigley Field, Guaranteed Rate Field, Soldier Field, United Center, and Wintrust Arena.
Wrigley and the United Center — they’ve both been talking well-nigh background upward a discern for it. This ordinance needs to live passed inwards tell for that to happen,” explained Burnett.
“We’ll control where the Council wants to turn with it. In my community, it’ll land more people to the United Center. They may spend to a greater extent money. It helps with the sales revenue enhancement and also the amusement task that these guys pay. So, thither is upside,” Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett added.
Retail Stadium Sportsbooks
Under Illinois’ 2019 sports betting law, Chicago’s pro sports stadiums, pending favourable reception from local governments, put up go for for sportsbook permits. Stadiums with capacities of at to the lowest degree 17,000 people can buoy merged sportsbooks into their venues, or build standalone sports betting facilities within a five-block radius.
Historic Wrigley Field, rest home of the MLB Cubs, wants in. Last September, the Cubs and sports betting leader DraftKings announced a multi-year partnership. The MLB enfranchisement and DraftKings require to establish a retail sportsbook at Wrigley.
“An increasing keep down of sports fans require to incorporate sports betting into their game experience, and we’re excited to live 1 of the first off to operate inward developing a retail sportsbook at a professional person sports venue,” said Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney.
Should the Chicago City Council heave its embargo on sports betting, the Cubs and DraftKings would want approval from the IL Gaming Board, as well as Major League Baseball. If all goes as the Cubs hope, the team and DraftKings would and so need to pay off a one-time $10 1000000 sports betting licensing fee to the state.
Motion Tabled
After Burnett and Johns Hopkins introduced the sports betting ordinance during this week’s City Council meeting, Alderman Susan Brownell Anthony Beale (9th Ward) moved the value to the government agency’s Rules Committee for further consideration.
The City Council’s next scheduled group meeting is for Sept 14. group A passport from the Rules Committee on the sports betting initiative is expected at that time.
Burnett says he recognizes non everyone is inward favor of sports betting. But he says walk downwardly the halls of City Charles Martin Hall during the Super Bowl or other major sporting events, and “everybody’s doing squares, pools, and all kinds of other things related to sports betting.”