O'Donnell: New sports gaming bill means absolutely nothing to currently credible bookies

So Illinois has a new sports gaming bill-plus.

Translated in "Combine" - John Kass's clever description of the bipartisan sneak oilers who manipulate some affairs of the state - that means a select circle of rich, connected folks have more golden pies to carve.

And what impact will it all have on those currently engaged in the purportedly sub terra administration of games of sporting chase?

The Daily Herald sports, media & get-down desk asked two thriving bookmakers for their impressions.

Their responses:

Bookmaker, local focus - "Do you think any of my current players are going to drop me to walk into a government-sanctioned building to potentially let the feds know how much they're gambling? That's utter nonsense.

"I'm confidential, I keep them in their limits for their own good and they know I'd sell my condos to pay if I had to, which I will never have to. The new law will do me a favor by getting all the twice-a-week $100 players off my (back). They belong in the stooge clubs."

Bookmaker, bigger picture - "It will remain business as usual for me. I hang numbers and let 'em have at it. With current apps, they can bet 24/7 online through my 'lord account' in Costa Rica, which I pay for, and all I do is check every day or so to see how everyone is doing.

"Then we settle as always either at a number (a pre-agreed upon sum of win or loss) or on a designated day. And I will book all action that Arlington Park isn't about to become the new Las Vegas."

So, same as it ever was.

THE CUBS' SIGNING of Craig Kimbrel was as much a marketing and imaging move as a mere player acquisition. Phil "The Vulture" Regan never got this sort of ballyhoo.

It is a signal to fans that the team is all in on the 2019 season, a year which it still says here will likely be Theo Epstein's last at Wrigley Field.

Nothing like a second world championship as a parting salute. And nothing like a deep postseason run to wipe away Joe Ricketts' emails, Addison Russell's domestic contretemps and set up The Marquee Network for a grand liftoff next winter.

FINAL NOTES ON "JEOPARDY! JAMES HOLZHAUER" and Emma Boettcher the Librarian:

Holzhauer's new-thought gamesmanship - board-jumping, all-ins, et al - was great but his core ability to correctly respond to all sorts of clues was astounding.

He also offered more evidence that that absolute prime of a star "Jeopardy!" player is roughly ages 27 to 36. (That has to do with vertical "pop cultural-ness" and horizontal adductive general knowledge.)

Ms. Emma was the historic upsetter who won two more and then got beat. She returns to the University of Chicago as a $1,200 response in the category "Pert People." (Mary Tyler Moore remains the $400.)

From a savior's overview, Holzhauer's run underscored what a poorly written show "Jeopardy!" has repeatedly devolved into during the Alex Trebek era. Clue writing and research staff need to be coached up on the concept of merging "getta-bility," infotainment and "hard-hard."

It don't come easy.

STREET-BEATIN': Fun that the Bears are holding their "100 Celebration" in Rosemont this weekend, but Dick Butkus as "the second-greatest Bear ever?" Eight full seasons with The Monsters, only two winning campaigns and not a whiff of a championship? Not to mention "Mother, Jugs & Speed" and "My Two Dads." … Also from the back pages of the orange-and-blue, Johnny Morris clarified the legend of his mythic racetrack score with the remarkable Gene Siskel: "We pooled $200 for a shot at a $1.2 million pot that involved picking an exacta-exacta-trifecta over three races. We went into the third leg very alive and got photoed-out for third by a nose. So we didn't hit." … ABC is taking it in the numbers as the Golden State-Toronto NBA Finals tanks (Game 5, ABC-7, Monday, 8 p.m.). As if the curse-and-collar of Kyle Lowry by GS minority owner Mark Stevens in Game 3 wasn't bad enough, worsening matters is the fact that Canadian viewers obviously don't count in American TV ratings. … Boston Bruins fans may be communing with counterparts among the New Orleans Saints faithful if St. Louis wins the Stanley Cup in Game 6 (NBC-5, Sunday, 7 p.m.). The outrageous non-call on the Blues' Tyler Bozak - which directly led to David Perron's series-bending winner in Game 5 - left even Doc Emrick calling it "mystifying." … The relief of Cubs fans will be short-lived: ESPN once again wheels little rascals Alex Rodriguez, Jessica Mendoza, Matt Vasgersian and Buster Olney into Wrigley Field for the finale of the weekend series vs the Cardinals (Sunday, 6:05 p.m.) … And Daily Herald news ace Bob Susnjara - once an excellent sports media columnist for the Copley chain of newspapers in northern Illinois - added to lingering guffaws after Jim Pastor's tin-cupping to get moribund WMVP-AM an extra ratings point of 0.1 in the April Nielsen Audios, by tweeting, "Will bosses at wheezing ESPN-1000 demand a ratings recount to include those who overhear shows from other car radios while stuck in expressway traffic?"

• Jim O'Donnell's Sports & Media column appears Thursday and Sunday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com.