John Cullerton, President of the Illinois Senate since 2009, has proposed that the state becomes an internet gambling hub in a letter to fellow legislative leaders on Tuesday. In it, he suggests that by organizing a major online poker site, Illinois could gain worldwide popularity and bolster finances in the future.

There are only two weeks remaining until the scheduled adjournment on May 31st, and Cullerton clearly wants to push the proposed legislation through while the lawmakers are still in session. Getting in to pass the idea before many of the other States get in on the online poker act could prove to be a great way for Illinois to make a substantial amount of extra money.

“Certain forms of iGaming, especially poker, rely on large pools of potential players, and states that move swiftly to design a system that captures the widest audience of participants will have an advantage in terms of long-range success” Democrat representative Cullerton wrote.

The question is, will the state benefit from being among the first to pass a law sanctioning internet gambling, or is it too risky? Cullerton’s enthusiasm does not seem to strike a chord with Patty Schuh, a Senate Republican spokeswoman, who noted that allowing “internet poker to be sanctioned by the state of Illinois [would raise] a whole lot of questions that need to be answered. Being first isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

However, it’s worth remembering that a whole host of countries already allow internet gambling, and everything from online bingo to fast poker from sites like iGame provide large amounts of revenue in countries around the world, including the United Kingdom.

Though internet poker is only legal in some States, a large number of operators deal exclusively in US Dollars. It makes perfect sense for other States to want to get in on the action, especially when it becomes apparent how lucrative the online gambling industry can be. Some companies are even floated on the Stock Exchange in the United Kingdom.

The State of Illinois only started offering lottery ticket sales online in March, so a move into the online poker industry could represent a major step forward, allowing for new streams of revenue to come in at what can only be described as a difficult economic time, especially in the USA. After all, the gambling industry is going from strength to strength all across the globe.

As a casino fan from Ohio, I was always content with jetting off to Las Vegas for some 24-hour fun at the tables. But as more and more states started allowing casino gambling, it became frustrating to watch Ohio voters consistently reject proposals that would permit casino gambling in Ohio.

Two things helped change that. First, we had the massive recession in 2008, and Ohioans saw billions of dollars leaving the state to casinos in adjoining states like Pennsylvania. Then, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert got involved. Gilbert knows how to get things done, and with his involvement the pro-casino forces finally got their act together and Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment in 2009 that permitted the construction of four casinos in Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus and Cincinnati.

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Bullz-Eye is proud to announce that world championship Full Tilt poker star Beth Shak will be joining us to cover the World Series of Poker live on Twitter. Beth will be tweeting the details from the world’s biggest poker stage, keeping you up to date on the biggest plays of the year, and you can follow her here on Bullz-Eye.

Beth Shak is a world championship Full Tilt poker player, fashion mogul and entrepreneur whose star is quickly rising. After squashing much of her competition in the Poker world, she has now ventured out into mainstream media as well as the fashion and beauty industry, where she is currently manufacturing a prototype for a medical patent she created. We’ve put together a hot gallery of photos of Beth for you to enjoy as well.

Known for her outspoken behavior, trendy designer outfits and an extended collection of designer shoes, she is every man’s fantasy and every woman’s best friend, as she truly lives a life Carrie Bradshaw would envy. Beth burst on to the poker scene in 2005 with a solid performance at the World Series of Poker Ladies’ event where she finished 8th –a remarkable achievement for someone playing her second live tournament ever. Her most impressive poker win to date was at the 38th WSOP, where she valiantly fought her way through 827 participants to finish 2nd place in the $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em event, taking home a cash prize over $328k.

Beth Shak has built up a considerable reputation as a no-nonsense poker player although she has only been playing for five years. She’s already cashed in at several major tournaments, including 2 World Poker Tour events and 5 World Series of Poker events. Her remarkable rise in professional poker has earned her the sponsorship of Full Tilt Poker and brought her total winnings past the $450,000 mark. Additionally, Beth was featured on NBC’s Poker After Dark and on the popular MTV Cribs.

So, if you couldn’t make it to Vegas but you want to follow the action in real time, check out her Twitter feed and enjoy the ride.

Bullz-Eye publisher Gerardo Orlando recently spoke with Richard Roeper about his new book – “Bet the House.” Roeper loves to gamble, so he came up with a great idea for a book after seeing Morgan Spurlock’s documentary “Super Size Me.” Roeper concocted his own 30-day challenge – he would bet at least $1,000 per day of his own money every day over a 30-day period. It’s a great read and we highly recommend it if you like to gamble. Roeper tries just about every form of wagering he could think of, from poker to a coin flip. He covers blackjack, slots, craps, sports betting, horse racing and much more, along with numerous trips to Las Vegas and some great stories about the Kentucky Derby.

His stories about some of the characters you run into when playing poker are hilarious.

BE: Some of the funniest parts of the book were the references to some of the other poker players you played with – the stereotypical, young poker player with the trucker hat, sunglasses, headphones. Talk a little bit about that because we’ve all run into those characters when we’ve played poker.

RR: Well yeah, it’s been about what…six, seven years now since the poker boom really hit, in the early 2000’s. So you know, you get a lot of these young players who, you know they were 14 or 15, watching the World Series of Poker and they have really been influenced by it, to me, in a comical way. Where they see these guys on TV with the sunglasses and the headphones and the Ed Hardy t-shirts and all that stuff. And they all think that they’re the next sensation and they’re so, you know, so serious and…unfortunately, it’s also given a lot of people license to really behave badly, in a boorish manner at the tables. And they don’t get it that if you’re Phil Hellmuth, you get away with it because you’ve got 11 bracelets and you’ve created a persona. If you’re some kid playing at a charity tournament in Chicago, you know, lighten up, get over yourself.

BE: Yeah, it’s hilarious when you run into those guys.

RR: I love messing with them.