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Illinois is pushing to legalize online poker as part of a gambling expansion bill. On Monday it was revealed that both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker would be permitted to apply for licensing in the state. The two companies were named in a 2011 indictment.
From Business2BusinessCommunity.com:
Senate Bill 1739 is sponsored by state Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan would enable PokerStars and Full Tilt to apply for Internet gambling licenses in the state. Link inserted a technical provision in which sites had to be “convicted” of crimes in order to be disqualified from securing such licenses.
PokerStars settled criminal charges in 2012 for $731 million. It has since acquired Full Tilt Poker.
Thus far three states have legalized online gambling within their borders in the past 12 months including Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey. Illinois, with its population of nearly 13 million (5th most populated state), would result in a total player pool of around 25 million if all four states were to form a compact.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
