Daily fantasy sports sites will "be able to operate in Illinois while the courts decide on DraftKings’ lawsuit challenging Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s finding" that DFS are illegal gambling operations, according to Andy Grimm of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. The AG’s office and lawyers for DraftKings "have agreed to not take other legal action over the websites while the DraftKings lawsuit works its way through the courts." A trial is set for June (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 12/30). But ESPN.com's David Purdum noted the case "might never make it to the June trial." Illinois state Rep. Mike Zalewski has "introduced a bill that would legalize and regulate daily fantasy sports." Zalewski said, "It's certainly my hope that we can get it passed (by end of the session). If I can convince enough of my colleagues that this is a good consumer protection bill on a new form of technology, I think we can" (ESPN.com, 12/29). In Chicago, Danny Ecker notes DraftKings "has about 256,000 players in Illinois, accounting for roughly" 10% of its customers, according to its lawsuit. The suit says that Illinois players have paid more than $92M in entry fees in '15, generating more than $9M in revenue for the company (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 12/29). Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Madigan’s office said that the AG also was in discussions with FanDuel "over scheduling hearings in a similar lawsuit that company filed" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/30).
