A proposal in Illinois to add compulsive gambling to the list of recognized substance use disorders is making headway.
SB 0118, sponsored by four Democrat lawmakers, was first introduced in January and passed the Senate by a unanimous 55-0 vote in recent days. It has been engrossed in the House of Representatives and is awaiting a reading in that chamber’s Rules Committee.
The bill would amend the state Substance Use Disorder Act to add a gambling disorder, which it defines as “persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behavior leading to clinically significant impairment or distress.”
The Department of Human Services would be responsible for a state-wide strategy that would include creating and administering prevention and treatment programs for disordered gamblers. One of the department’s duties would be to create grants that would draw funds from, among other things, revenue dedicated to the department under the provisions of the Video Gaming Act and the Illinois Gambling Act.
The bill also has a strong youth focus. The department would be mandated to provide funding to help parents prevent gambling disorders via healthy gaming and play habits, financial planning and literacy and how to talk about gambling and related activities.
All licensed retail casinos and online sportsbooks would be required to include a department-authored statement on how gamblers can access assistance to treat disorders.
“Substance use and gambling disorders, as defined in this Act, constitute a serious public health problem,” reads the bill’s text, which was not amended before passing the Senate. “The effects on public safety and the criminal justice system cause serious social and economic losses, as well as great human suffering. It is imperative that a comprehensive and coordinated strategy be developed under the leadership of a State agency.
Illinois mulls gambling market changes
This bill is one of many proposed changes to the state gambling market that the Illinois legislature has considered this year.
A pair of companion bills filed in early February aim to legalize online casino gaming in the state. The proposal would allow operators to offer as many as three skins in the market and would tax iGaming at 25%, with all tax revenue going into the State Gaming Fund. Those pieces of legislation have not made much progress in their respective chambers.
Two Senate bills, one from Sen. Bill Cunningham, propose authorizing daily fantasy sports in the state, while another from Cunningham looks to take a firm stance on criminalizing online sweepstakes casinos in a market that currently does not offer online casino gaming.
Cunningham has been busy. He has also filed a pair of bills that would impose new limitations on online sports betting. One seeks to prevent sportsbooks from using AI to track bettors’ activity, tailor promotions to specific players or create certain bet markets. The other suggests banning them from accepting more than five deposits from one user during a 24-hour period, as well as making other stipulations around deposits.
