Illinois took a major step toward legalizing and regulating the daily fantasy sports industry when the state Senate passed legislation on Thursday.
A later report from the Associated Press indicated a move was made to stop the bill from moving to the House immediately.
Lawmakers are trying to render moot an opinion from Attorney General Lisa Madigan that DFS is illegal gambling under state law.
DFS bill passes in Illinois
After maneuverings on Wednesday — including a Senate panel moving a bill to the chamber floor — the bill cleared a major hurdle. The bill — H 3655 — passed by a 32-22 vote.
There was organized opposition speaking against the bill during floor proceedings on Thursday when the bill was called for a vote. The bill had been called earlier in the floor session, likely meaning votes were still being counted or assured before legislation came up for a roll call.
But the legislation from Sen. Kwame Raoul survived one of the closest votes the DFS industry has seen on any bill that reached a roll call in front of a full chamber this year.
A possible hiccup
The Associated Press reported that one member appeared to have slowed the bill’s transmission to the House:
The Senate passed the bill on a 32-22 vote Thursday but shortly afterward, one of the measure’s supporters filed a motion to reconsider, putting the proposal on hold and preventing it from moving to the House.
Chicago Democratic Sen. Antonio Munoz, who filed the motion, didn’t immediately return messages left at his office. It wasn’t immediately clear why he filed the motion or whether he plans to undo it.
Munoz voted against the bill during an executive session on Wednesday but voted for the bill on Thursday on the Senate floor.
What’s next for the DFS bill?
Depending on the resolution of the , the action shifts back to the House, where the bulk of the work on DFS legislation had been done previously by Rep. Michael Zalewski.
The opposition on display in the Senate will likely manifest itself in the House, as well, although it’s not clear how the voting will go down in the lower chamber.
Illinois is trying to pass DFS regulation before it adjourns at the end of the month. The legislature will not be in session again until Monday.
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