Hoosier Wine Retailer Works To Flip Illinois Law, Ship Directly

ACROSS ILLINOIS — A 1934 Illinois law on alcohol sales could soon be overturned due to an Indiana wine retailer's efforts to sell wine directly to consumers in Illinois. According to the Chicago Tribune, Lebamoff Enterprises won the right to reopen a 2016 lawsuit against Illinois last month in the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, centered on the right to sell and ship the alcoholic beverage directly to Illinois consumers. Right now any alcohol shipped to Illinois must go through a distributor and be sold by a retail location in the state, the Tribune said.

Since the Illinois Liquor Control Act of 1934 came into effect, shipping liquor to anyone outside the state that wasn't a licensed distributor has been prohibited, according to the Tribune. The news report adds that getting rid of the nearly 85-year-old legislation that includes the distributor in the producer, distributor and consumer system would also impact revenue. Therefore, the Tribune notes that the state's distributors and regulators aren't fans of the lawsuit.

But where do retailers stand? According to the Tribune, some retailers want to take part in online sales and interstate competition that comes in and out of the state, as Lebamoff officials noted the chance for expanding internet sales and number of wines offered.

Related: Indianapolis Has Country's Lowest Avg. Beer, Wine Price: Report

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