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Editorial: Let's keep an open mind on sports betting in Illinois

The headline we asked Tuesday on the front page begs an answer. And we initially thought the answer should be no, sports betting should not be allowed in Illinois.

As we have stated many times, we are opposed to increased casinos in Illinois and we were not in favor of video gambling at bars and restaurants either.

But we have been supportive of efforts to save the casinos already in operation and the horse racetracks like Arlington Park that have been seeking new ways of increasing revenue in order to stay open.

And that's where legal sports betting, if it passes some significant federal hurdles, might be a move that should at least be explored in this state.

Unfortunately, in Illinois, gambling legislation gets bogged down on an almost yearly basis because of so many competing interests. We are not in favor of the latest effort to bring a casino to Chicago because it will do nothing but siphon business away from nearby suburban casinos in Des Plaines, Elgin and Aurora. We have been supportive of slot machines at Arlington Park as one way to level the playing field.

“We believe that the market is saturated,” Illinois Casino Gaming Association Executive Director Tom Swoik said in testimony in Springfield.

But what if New Jersey wins its federal court battle to bring sports betting to its casinos and race tracks? A decision could come this summer in that case — which seeks to allow sports betting beyond the four states that were grandfathered when sports betting was banned by the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992.

Elgin business owner Mike Butirro thinks Illinois should prepare itself if New Jersey prevails. He's contacted his local and federal representatives to discuss the possibilities. He's also been in contact with representatives of the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, who not surprisingly are enthusiastic about his efforts.

For Butirro, the move to sports betting in Illinois is a simple one. “We already have gambling in the state, and people are doing it (sports betting) on the Internet and in back alleys, so what's the difference?”

However, we don't see it as that simple. Those who deal with gambling addicts, for example, certainly would be concerned just as they have been about additional casinos.

And the sports leagues, citing the integrity of the games and the athletes who play them, have been opposed through the years to allowing any more legal gambling than is currently allowed in Delaware, Montana, Nevada and Oregon.

However, the new leader of the National Basketball Association has offered a different view and one that at least should be heard.

“I believe that sports betting should be brought out of the underground and into the sunlight where it can be appropriately monitored and regulated,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in an op-ed he penned for The New York Times. In it, he sought a comprehensive federal solution that included strict regulatory requirements.

We're not at this point endorsing sports betting. But we'd prefer a broad discussion about it and what that might look like in Illinois as opposed to the annual push for more casinos.

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