One bill pending in the Illinois Senate intends to expand the state’s Substance Abuse Disorders Act to officially include the gaming disorder (ludopathy) as a public health problem. The proposal advanced in the Senate Executive Committee with unanimous approval (8 to 0) and now goes to second reading.
The text has a direct impact on the regulated betting and iGaming market in the United States and serves as important reference for the regulatory debate in Brazilespecially at a time when the country is discussing social responsibility, responsible gambling and public policies to prevent gambling addiction.
What changes in practice with the new bill
THE SB 2749authored by Senator Julie Morrisonproposes that gaming disorder should be formally treated as a public health problem, just like alcoholism and chemical dependency.
If approved, the project will allow:
- Inclusion of gambling addiction in official state prevention and treatment programs
- Expanding access to public psychological and social support services for problem gamblers
- Creation of educational and awareness campaigns
- Integration of the topic into health, social assistance and education policies
According to data from the Illinois Department of Human Services, about 3.8% of adults of the state have problems with gambling, while other 7.7% are in a risk group — numbers that reflect a structural challenge for regulated betting markets.
New definition of “gambling” also includes illegal offers
A relevant point of the project is the expansion of the legal concept of “gambling”. The proposal now includes both regulated operations and illegal platformssomething that speaks directly to the Brazilian scenario, where combating irregular gambling is also one of the main regulatory challenges.
In practice, the text defines gambling as any activity of betting on uncertain results, not limited only to operations licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board.
This point reinforces the understanding that Responsible gaming policies cannot be restricted to only legal operatorsas the illegal market also generates social impact and risks to the consumer.
Impact for operators: mandatory warnings and awareness actions
The bill also creates new obligations for gambling and casino operators in Illinois:
- Mandatory display of warning messages about gambling risks
- Disclosure of official help and psychological support channels
- Gaming Addiction Awareness Campaigns
- Participation in educational actions aimed at prevention
These requirements follow a global trend of strengthening responsible gaming policies (Responsible Gambling), something that is already beginning to gain space in the Brazilian regulatory debate.
Additional measures foreseen in the project
The text of SB 2749 also includes:
- Inclusion of problematic use of video games in educational activities
- Prevention programs in schools
- Specific actions to prevent suicide associated with gambling addiction
- Support for people leaving the prison system, a group considered at high risk
- Creation of a free hotline and official website for guidance and referral
Today, Illinois has 17 casinosabout 9 thousand video lottery terminals (VLTs) and 14 licensed sportsbookswhich generated more than US$ 2.2 billion in tax revenue in 2025 — which reinforces the importance of public policies to mitigate the sector’s social impacts.
What Brazil can learn from this movement
The initiative in Illinois shows how mature markets are moving beyond collection and technical regulation, starting to address the social impact of betting as a central part of public policy.
For Brazil, which is experiencing a period of consolidation in the regulation of betting and iGaming, this type of model serves as:
- Reference for building responsible gaming policies
- Basis for more robust regulatory requirements
- Example of integration between regulation, public health and social assistance
The global trend points to an increasingly regulated market, with greater demands on operators in terms of player protection, addiction prevention and sector sustainability.
Fonte: Gaming365 – Brasil
