For the purposes of this subsection (a), "minority-owned business", "women-owned business", and "business owned by persons with disabilities" have the meanings given to those terms in Section 2 of the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and Persons with Disabilities Act.
The Board may adopt rules to establish additional qualifications and requirements to preserve the integrity and security of sports wagering in this State and to promote and maintain a competitive sports wagering market. After the close of the application period, the Board shall determine whether the applications meet the mandatory minimum qualification criteria and conduct a comprehensive, fair, and impartial evaluation of all qualified applications.
As a part of the study, the Board shall evaluate race and gender-neutral programs or other methods that may be used to address the needs of minority and women applicants and minority-owned and women-owned businesses seeking to participate in the sports wagering industry. The Board shall submit to the General Assembly and publish on its website the results of this study by August 1, 2020.
If, as a result of the study conducted under this subsection (m), the Board finds that there is a compelling interest in implementing remedial measures, the Board may adopt rules, including emergency rules, to implement remedial measures, if necessary and to the extent permitted by State and federal law, based on the findings of the study conducted under this subsection (m).
230 ILCS 45/25-45