Illinois state Sen. Patrick Joyce has filed a bill that would reduce Chicago’s Local Government Distributive Fund allocation from the state by the exact amount the city would generate with its recently passed 10.25% sports betting tax on city-based revenue.
The 2026 Chicago budget is expected to take effect Thursday, with embattled first-term Mayor Brandon Johnson announcing last Tuesday he would neither sign nor veto the ordinance, thus letting it become law. Johnson originally proposed the city sports betting tax as part of his proposal, looking to raise an estimated $26.3 million in annual revenue, and the city council retained the levy as part of its “alternative budget.”
