Illinois Gambling Survey – Time to Come Clean

Harmful gambling: we hear this phrase more and more often nowadays. This is why many legislators, regulators, and civil services are starting to take action. Actions, they have never done before. Now, the Illinois Department of Human Services decided to take one step closer to responsible gambling by a survey conducted among wagers in the state.

In the US, legally all the states have their own right to control gambling on their territories. This is also true to anything in connection with the issue – like problem wagering. To address the problem, the state of Illinois is conducting a gambling survey on the issue. It is something that they have not done for the last 20 years. This is a really long time – especially if we consider how much the world changed in the last two decades with all the technological advancements. Just think about it: since then, there are hundreds of online gambling sites in the US, with infinite wagering options.

How did they get here?

As mentioned above, the state has not really been focusing on the problem gambling topic for the last 20 years. So, it was high time to start to do so! Also, in 2019 there was a massive expansion on the gambling field with the Sports Wagering Act. As GT Law sums up: “The bill will permit sports wagering, including online/mobile, a Chicago casino, five additional casinos, slots and table games at racetracks, possible slots at the Chicago airports, an additional video gaming terminal at each establishment and in some instances five additional video gaming terminals, and the opportunity for existing casinos to move to land-based operations or purchase additional gaming positions. Along with the expansion, significant taxes and licensing fees are levied.”

The Illinois gambling survey

As the Chicago Suntimes put it, the conductors of the anonymous survey are inquiring about every relatable issue – without taboos. “From church bingo to illegal dogfight” – they want to hear everything that the gamblers of Illinois have to say. The Illinois Department of Human Services conducts the statewide online assessment about wagering. They target those residents who regularly gamble. It does not matter if it is the lottery, bingo, underground cockfighting, or slot machines you like to engage with. And maybe you just place your bets from time to time on online sportsbooks in the US, like Bwin Sports. It does not matter what you like, they would are interested in your answers! And their goal is – after evaluating the result – to connect problem gamblers with counselors.

What is wrong with online gambling in Illinois?

In the United States, about 3% of the population deal with gambling problems. It is a clear state, but we cannot know if it applies to Illinois as well, since it has been a long time, since they engaged with the problem. As Hannah Carline (Health Resources in Action) said: “data about the impact of at-risk and problem gambling in the state of Illinois are very limited,”. Also, since the technological headway, there is no place in the state where people cannot gamble from their cellphones. Usually, they just have to register, and they can already find themselves betting on Bwin Sports – it is so easy to do. Which is a good thing! But of course, to make it a really good thing, people need to be conscious about their own gaming. Regulators and operators alone are not enough.

So, we encourage you to take part in the Illinois gambling survey, even if you do not think you have a problem with gambling. It takes only 10-15 minutes, and by providing an e-mail address, you can get an e-gift card for 30 dollars. And, in the summer when they reveal the reports from the study, you can see your results too!

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