Illinois Sports Betting

In January 2018, a Senate bill called the "Sports Betting Consumer Protection Act" was introduced. The draft bill could "authorize sports betting or electronic sports betting by an electronic sports betting patron or sports betting facility patron." Hearings were held about the various bills, but no formal vote was taken. In June 2019, Governor JB Pritzker signed SB 690 to allow all casinos, racetracks and sports venues that hold 17,000 people or more a brick-and-mortar license to operate a sportsbook.

In March 2020, the first physical sportsbooks in Illinois casinos opened and online sports betting launched in June. As of the start of 2021, legal sports betting was available at eight retail sportsbook locations and via five online platforms. As of April, 2021, bettors must complete online registration in-person at a retail casino after Gov. J.B. Prtizker allowed remote registration through a series of executive orders, due to the pandemic.

In March 2022, Illinois permanently allowed remote registration for online sports betting accounts, eliminating the in-person requirement that had briefly been reinstated after pandemic-era executive order relief expired. Mobile platforms now account for approximately 95–98% of all wagers placed in the state.

In July 2024, Illinois enacted a new progressive sports betting tax structure, replacing the prior flat 15% rate. The new tiered system applies rates of 20% on the first $30 million of adjusted gross revenue (AGR), 25% on $30M–$50M, 30% on $50M–$100M, 35% on $100M–$200M, and 40% on AGR above $200M — the second-highest maximum rate in the U.S. behind New York's 51%. An additional 2% surcharge applies to wagers placed within Cook County, and an additional 2% to wagers placed within the City of Chicago.

Illinois is the second-largest sports betting market in the U.S.