The Illinois General Assembly reconvenes in mid-January 2026, meaning Chicago’s tax could already be live when lawmakers debate how to respond. That timing raises the likelihood of retroactive fixes, prolonged legal challenges, or broader changes to how much authority local governments have over gambling policy. House Gaming Committee Chair Daniel Didech has floated legislation that would bar local governments from taxing or regulating gambling under home-rule authority.
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.