Illinois Senate President Pocketed $50K From Online Casino Deemed Illegal by Gaming Board

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) says he will donate a $50,000 contribution from a controversial online sweepstakes casino platform to charity after facing backlash for accepting the money.

Among the most powerful lawmakers in Illinois, Harmon has served as Senate president since January 2020. He was president pro tempore for eight years prior.

Harmon, who has faced scrutiny in the past for allegedly violating campaign finance laws, accepted a $50,000 contribution from ARB Interactive, the parent company of Modo Casino, in early January. Modo is an online sweepstakes casino where players can purchase sweeps coins to enter sweepstakes promotions based on interactive table games and slot machines.

Friends of Don Harmon, the senator’s primary election committee, accepted the $50,000 check from ARB Interactive on Jan. 6. Records on the Illinois State Board of Elections website show that the check originated from ARB’s Miami office at 601 Brickell Drive, Suite 600. The check was described as the company’s “2025 Pledge.”

Harmon also took a $250,000 contribution from the Sports Betting Alliance in March. The SBA lobbies state governments to embrace online sports betting and iGaming.

Harmon Donates Sweepstakes Casino Money

A little more than a week after Harmon cashed his ARB check, the Illinois Gaming Board sent Modo Casino a cease-and-desist letter on allegations that the sweepstakes casino platform is “engaged in the operation of an illegal online casino in violation of the Illinois Criminal Code.”

The sweepstakes casino industry, collectively lobbying under the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance, claims its members conduct free-to-play online casino games that offer “optional in-game purchases to enhance and extend gameplay.” State lawmakers, attorneys general, and gaming regulators across the country have disagreed, ordering sweepstakes to terminate within their jurisdictions.

After the Illinois Gaming Board ruled Modo to be a criminal enterprise, and the Chicago Sun-Times reported on the ARB contribution, Harmon’s office said the $50,000 would be donated to charity.

“Senate President Harmon has long been among the most skeptical voices in Springfield as to the wisdom of putting a slot machine in every Illinoisan’s pocket, and he remains so today,” a spokesperson for the senator said.

However, with online sports betting already legal in Illinois, the Sports Betting Alliance’s $250,000 contribution is likely tied to trying to convince the General Assembly to authorize iGaming. The advocacy organization, whose members include DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Fanatics, and bet365, says it’s dedicated to “legal, regulated online sports betting and online gaming.”

Is Modo Casino in Illinois?

ARB Interactive has not complied with the Illinois Gaming Board’s cease-and-desist order, with its Modo Casino website reporting that its operation remains available for both gold and sweeps coins play.

Modo says it’s prepared to defend the legality of its business should a lawsuit be brought by the state government in Illinois.