Earlier this year, Rep. Robert Rita (D-Blue Island) introduced a bill (HB 3142) that would have let casinos and racetracks in Illinois offer internet gaming. Rita’s bill ultimately failed, and the Senate instead asked a commission to study the issue.

Illinois could have generated upwards of $1.2 billion in revenue in 16 months if the state legalized online gaming before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.