(230 ILCS 5/19.5)

Sec. 19.5. Standardbred racetrack in Cook County. Notwithstanding anything in this Act to the contrary, in addition to organization licenses issued by the Board on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, the Board shall issue an organization license limited to standardbred racing to a racetrack located in one of the following townships of Cook County: Bloom, Bremen, Calumet, Orland, Rich, Thornton, or Worth. This additional organization license shall not be issued within a 35-mile radius of another organization license issued by the Board on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, unless the person having operating control of such racetrack has given written consent to the organization licensee applicant, which consent must be filed with the Board at or prior to the time application is made. The organization license application shall be submitted to the Board and the Board may grant the organization license at any meeting of the Board. The Board shall examine the application within 21 days after receipt of the application with respect to its conformity with this Act and the rules adopted by the Board. If the application does not comply with this Act or the rules adopted by the Board, the application may be rejected and an organization license refused to the applicant, or the Board may, within 21 days after receipt of the application, advise the applicant of the deficiencies of the application under the Act or the rules of the Board and require the submittal of an amended application within a reasonable time determined by the Board; upon submittal of the amended application by the applicant, the Board may consider the application consistent with the process described in subsection (e-5) of Section 20. If the application is found to be in compliance with this Act and the rules of the Board, the Board shall then issue an organization license to the applicant. Once the organization license is granted, the licensee shall have all of the current and future rights of existing Illinois racetracks, including, but not limited to, the ability to obtain an inter-track wagering license, the ability to obtain inter-track wagering location licenses, the ability to obtain an organization gaming license pursuant to the Illinois Gambling Act with 1,200 gaming positions, and the ability to offer Internet wagering on horse racing.

(Source: P.A. 101-31, eff. 6-28-19; 102-689, eff. 12-17-21.)