Legalization of Fantasy Sports Betting Halted in Illinois

Despite efforts to determine the contrary, fantasy sports betting still remains to be an illegal activity in the state of Illinois. It has been a hot topic for the state, with the growing popularity of online sports betting in recent years. Just this past December, Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, stated that the law “clearly declares that all games of chance or skill, when played for money, are illegal gambling in Illinois.” Despite this fact, there are those that have been trying to change it. In response to Madigan, popular fantasy sports betting site, FanDuel, released the following statement: “Chicago may be the best sports town in the country. It's a city -- and Illinois is a state -- that plays fantasy sports like almost no other. 'The League' is even set in Illinois. So why the Attorney General would tell her 13.5 million constituents they can't play fantasy sports anymore as they know it -- and make no mistake, her opinion bans all forms of fantasy sports played for money -- is beyond us. Hopefully the legislature will give back to the people of Illinois the games they love. A sports town like Chicago and a sports loving state like Illinois deserves nothing less." The uproar regarding the topic has led to a possibility for change. While a measure had been made in an effort to legalize fantasy sports betting, it has just recently been brought to a screeching halt. It has just been announced that there will now be a delay as lawmakers fine-tune a working proposal. This comes after a request for an extension from Democratic State Representative, Michael Zalewski. Illinois is not the only state that has yet to legalize fantasy sports betting. In fact, it is among several states with pending legislation on 2016.