Illinois stands to benefit from legalizing online gaming


September was a historic month for sports betting as New Jersey became the first state to process $ 1 billion in sports betting in a single month. The public's appetite for legal sports betting across the country has been great, but the growth of this phenomenon in New Jersey has been particularly impressive. This year alone, New Jersey has seen its sports betting revenue grow 150%, and the state has already generated massive tax revenues of $ 65 million so far.

This trend shows that the legalization of sports betting is bringing this once-secret activity to light as customers increasingly place their bets with trusted, regulated companies rather than offshore websites or local bookmakers. The result is a win-win situation - customers can rest assured and governments benefit from tax revenues that have already exceeded the rosiest forecasts of most experts.

Illinois has certainly done well with regulated sports betting, as evidenced by $ 400 million bets placed in August. But it's worth taking a look at why New Jersey is still blowing the land of Lincoln out of the water and what Illinois can do to maximize the benefits of regulated online gambling.

To begin with, Illinois must allow these mobile sports betting platforms to offer additional games, including traditional casino games. I-gaming, as it is popularly known, is the digital alternative to a trip to a land-based casino. Much like streaming has become the alternative for Americans who don't always want the cinema experience, I-Gaming enables people to enjoy casino games from the comfort of their own home. New Jersey has had I-Gaming since 2013 and it has been a huge success as it generates additional revenue for the state without reducing brick and mortar casino revenue.

In September of this year, New Jersey generated $ 18.5 million in tax revenue from I-Gaming alone, bringing the total to nearly $ 150 million since the beginning of the year. It's also the perfect complement to sports betting as the two working products work together to provide a seamless entertainment experience. People in Illinois today can log into an offshore website or app and play blackjack with a dealer (or bot) in Costa Rica, so why not here? Much like the proven success of legal sports betting, legal i-gaming will attract customers to a better, safer experience that can be state regulated and taxed.

Keep track of betting activity to avoid gambling problems

The first question most people have, of course, is whether regulated i-gaming is safe. The answer is clearly yes. But the same cannot be said of the dozen of offshore casinos looking for your credit card number. They offer very little assurance that if you win, you will be paid back or that your personal information will not be sold to anyone else. Offering a legal, safe, and regulated alternative to a risky but widespread activity is only good policy.

In addition, I-Gaming enables casinos to track a person's betting activity and uses cutting edge technology to assess risks and offer interventions aimed at reducing problematic gambling problems.

Compared to the anonymity of playing table games or slot machines in stationary casinos or pumping quarters into one of the states' 40,000+ video game terminals, I-Gaming offers the state's next generation player protection that comes with advanced tracking and data science to intervene early on to reduce gambling-related damage.

Illinois has already recognized the benefits of online sports betting, but now it is time for the state to take the next step and modernize the digital casino experience. When implemented properly, I-Gaming has the potential to safely and effectively add more than $ 200 million to the states' bottom line. That is why I urge Illinois lawmakers to make i-gaming legislation a priority in the 2022 session.

Charles Gillespie is Chief Executive of Gambling.com Group (Nasdaq: GAMB) and a global leader in the online gaming industry.

Send letters to letter@suntimes.com


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