104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB3731
 
Introduced 2/18/2025, by Rep. Robert "Bob" Rita
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
230 ILCS 5/19.5
    Amends the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975. Provides that before the effective date of the amendatory Act, the additional organization license, issued by the Illinois Racing Board for standardbred racing to a racetrack located in specified townships of Cook County, shall not be issued within a 35-mile radius of another organization license issued by the Board, unless the person having operating control of such racetrack has given written consent to the organization licensee application, which consent must be filed with the Board at or prior to the time application is made. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR
 
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1    AN ACT concerning gaming.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975 is 
5amended by changing Section 19.5 as follows:
 
6    (230 ILCS 5/19.5)
7    Sec. 19.5. Standardbred racetrack in Cook County. 
8Notwithstanding anything in this Act to the contrary, in 
9addition to organization licenses issued by the Board on 
10December 17, 2021 (the effective date of Public Act 102-689) 
11this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, the Board 
12shall issue an organization license limited to standardbred 
13racing to a racetrack located in one of the following 
14townships of Cook County: Bloom, Bremen, Calumet, Orland, 
15Rich, Thornton, or Worth. Before the effective date of this 
16amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly, this This 
17additional organization license shall not be issued within a 
1835-mile radius of another organization license issued by the 
19Board on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st 
20General Assembly, unless the person having operating control 
21of such racetrack has given written consent to the 
22organization licensee applicant, which consent must be filed 
23with the Board at or prior to the time application is made. The 
 
 
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1organization license application shall be submitted to the 
2Board and the Board may grant the organization license at any 
3meeting of the Board. The Board shall examine the application 
4within 21 days after receipt of the application with respect 
5to its conformity with this Act and the rules adopted by the 
6Board. If the application does not comply with this Act or the 
7rules adopted by the Board, the application may be rejected 
8and an organization license refused to the applicant, or the 
9Board may, within 21 days after receipt of the application, 
10advise the applicant of the deficiencies of the application 
11under the Act or the rules of the Board and require the 
12submittal of an amended application within a reasonable time 
13determined by the Board; upon submittal of the amended 
14application by the applicant, the Board may consider the 
15application consistent with the process described in 
16subsection (e-5) of Section 20. If the application is found to 
17be in compliance with this Act and the rules of the Board, the 
18Board shall then issue an organization license to the 
19applicant. Once the organization license is granted, the 
20licensee shall have all of the current and future rights of 
21existing Illinois racetracks, including, but not limited to, 
22the ability to obtain an inter-track wagering license, the 
23ability to obtain inter-track wagering location licenses, the 
24ability to obtain an organization gaming license pursuant to 
25the Illinois Gambling Act with 1,200 gaming positions, and the 
26ability to offer Internet wagering on horse racing.
 
 
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1(Source: P.A. 101-31, eff. 6-28-19; 102-689, eff. 12-17-21.)
 
2    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
3becoming law.