SPRINGFIELD, July 3 -- Don Harmon has spent years telling colleagues in the Illinois Senate that expanding online gambling is a bad idea. In February, the Illinois Gaming Board agreed - at least about one company. It told ARB Interactive, the parent of Modo Casino, to stop operating in the state immediately, saying Modo's games gave users the opportunity to win cash and prizes in violation of Illinois law. What Harmon did not say publicly, until the Chicago Sun-Times asked, was that ARB Interactive had written his campaign a $50,000 check six weeks before that cease-and-desist order was issued.

The payment, dated January 6, 2026, came as ARB was deepening its political presence across multiple states despite facing intensifying scrutiny ...