Digital Wager Wire highlights the most significant events affecting the domestic and international sports betting and gaming industries each week throughout the year.
Is iGaming Coming to DC?
The Internet Gaming and Consumer Protection Act of 2026 is a bill sponsored by D.C. Councilmember Wendell Felder, and it would legalize, license, and regulate online casino gambling in the District of Columbia. However, the bill has a long way to go before it becomes law, and a recent public hearing before the DC Council’s Committee on Human Services offered a forum for both supporters and detractors to voice their opinions.
Councilmember Felder argues that iGaming is occurring in the district, facilitated through offshore gaming sites, without the consumer protections he is proposing. In his bill, Felder proposed the following guardrails.
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Deposit limits for daily, weekly, and monthly periods.
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Spend or loss limits for daily, weekly, and monthly periods.
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Session or time limits.
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Cooling-off periods of at least 72 hours.
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Self-exclusion and account closing options consistent with OLG rules.
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Real-time or near real-time access to all account history
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Periodic reminders of time spent on the platform
Michelle McGregor, representing the Sports Betting Alliance and a resident of the District, suggested that the tax dollars generated through online casino gambling platforms would outweigh any deleterious social impact.
“The regulated market is largely comprised of individuals who are either seeking out legal iGaming in other jurisdictions or were operating in the illegal market, meaning legalizing iGaming does indeed help migrate consumers to a regulated market,” McGregor said.
However, many in the local community and anti-gambling representatives argue quite the contrary. Les Bernal, the director of Stop Predatory Gambling, is one of those critics.
“The narrative behind illegal gambling was a made-up public relations narrative by the gambling industry, and the reason why they needed to do it is that your constituents weren’t demanding commercial sports gambling. They sure as heck aren’t demanding online casino gambling. They had to create this phony public relations narrative to breathe life into a lobbying campaign,” stated Bernal.
Local legislators are currently considering the measure, but they have yet to take a formal vote on it.
Bally’s Chicago Tops Off
A “topping off” ceremony is largely symbolic in that it signifies the last phase of a building’s exterior construction by placing a steel beam at the top of the structure. Bally’s executive chairman Soo Kim, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Alderman Walter Burnett Jr., and union leaders were on hand to witness the ceremony.
Bally’s $1.7 billion resort casino complex has been riddled with delays, but those hurdles have been surmounted, and a spring 2027 opening is on track. The permanent facility is located at 560 W. Grand Avenue in Chicago, the former Chicago Tribune Freedom Center site, and will feature a 500-room hotel tower, replete with a rooftop bar; a 3,000-seat entertainment theater; conference and event centers; and a 3,300-space parking facility.
As for the casino, reports are that it will house 3,400 slot machines and 173 table games, as well as several dining and lounge venues. The billion-dollar entertainment attraction is expected to generate tens, if not hundreds, of millions of tax dollars annually, which will go to state and local governments.
“When completed, the over 1,000 union workers who are building the casino project will not only change our skyline, but they will also be building it. The casino, the hotel, entertainment venue, and restaurants are anticipated to generate more than $100 million in new revenue every year,” Johnson said.
