Illinois Could Jump Into Online Poker Fray

Illinois Senate President John Cullerton suggested Tuesday that Illinois could benefit significantly from the multi billion dollar online poker industry.

Cullerton noted that Illinois would be in a position to become a hub for the industry.  His proposal comes to the table just two weeks before a scheduled May 31 adjournment.

Cullerton, a North Side Democrat, proposed the idea via a letter to his fellow legislative leaders and Gov. Pat Quinn that legislation to create a gaming division within the Illinois Lottery would help the state maximize the amount of money it could collect.

"Certain forms of iGaming, especially poker, rely on large pools of potential players, and states that move swiftly to design a system that captures the widest audience of participants will have an advantage in terms of long-range success," Cullerton wrote. The goal is to make the state nimble enough to adjust to new Internet gambling approaches, Cullerton said.

Cullerton wants to pass the Web gambling idea before lawmakers leave town, noting that the U.S. Senate has legislation pending that could preclude Illinois and other states from reaping the benefits if they have not already started when a federal law is put on the books.

That’s easier said than done.  A handful of states have tried to legalize Internet poker and, thus far, their push has been met with staunch opposition from a variety of sources including Tribal casinos (California), religious groups (Mississippi) and plain old politics (New Jersey, et al.). 

"If you allow Internet poker to be sanctioned by the state of Illinois, there are a whole lot of questions that need to be answered," said Patty Schuh, spokeswoman for Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno of Lemont.  "Being first isn't necessarily a good thing."

Illinois wouldn’t necessarily be first as Nevada has already passed legislation allowing online poker for real money play within the state’s borders until which time federal legislation is passed allowing for interstate play. 

Illinois was one of the states that began offering online lottery ticket sales in March.

- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com