Illinois sports betting supplier fees bill meets resistance in legislature

Illinois sports betting supplier fees bill meets resistance in legislature

Article brief provided by PlayUSA
  • Matthew Kredell, PlayUSA
April 23, 2023 11:50 AM
  • Matthew Kredell, PlayUSA

A bill to lower exorbitant Illinois sports betting renewal fees for suppliers faced backlash Wednesday in the House Gaming Committee.

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The Illinois sports betting legislation passed in 2019 set the initial supplier licensing fee at $150,000 for the first four years. But suppliers must continue paying $150,000 annually.

Chris Nybo, a lobbyist representing the gaming trade association iDEA Growth, presented the discrepancy as a drafting error. That argument worked in the Senate, where SB 323 passed 55-1 on March 29. But with Illinois Gaming Control Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter expressing opposition, House committee members pushed back on lowering the fee.

The original supplier licensing language in the Illinois sports betting bill doesn’t necessarily seem like a drafting error.