March 12, 2008

Gambling Action Alert

Legislation to Expand Gambling Voted out of Committees

Several gambling expansion bills moved out of the House Gaming Committee today, and an Internet Lottery bill passed out of the Senate Revenue Committee. The following bills will go to the full House or Senate for a vote.

HB 4128 expands the Lottery to the Internet. Anyone 18 and older could establish a lottery account and buy Lottery tickets on the Internet using a public or private computer or other electronic device—cell phone, blackberry, etc. The bill allows Instant Lottery tickets on the Internet. These tickets are very colorful, the game is very fast, and it appears that you are simply playing a game rather than purchasing a Lottery ticket for real money.

HB 4619 legalizes two more casinos in Illinois.

HB 4758 expands horse racing at the State Fairgrounds from 2 weeks a year to 9 months. The bill paves the way for a land-based casino in Springfield if slot machines are legalized at racetracks and opens the door for Account Deposit Wagering, which legalizes horse racing on the Internet.

SB 2099 legalizes the sale of Lottery tickets "by any electronic means". This could include Keno, Video Lottery Terminals, and the Internet. They want to attract more people to the Lottery. Education should not be funded on the losses of the poor and the addicted.

For Immediate Action

Call your State Representative (217-782-2000) and ask him/her to vote NO on HB 4128, HB 4619, and HB 4758 which expand gambling in Illinois.
Call your State Senator (271-782-2000) and ask him/her to vote NO on SB 2099 which expands gambling on the Internet and opens the door for a massive expansion of gambling on the Lottery.
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