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In the spring of 2019, the Illinois state legislature passed a costs that permitted Illinois sports betting at riverboat gambling establishments, horse racetracks, and select sports centers. Online sports betting shown up in June 2020 with the launch of the BetRivers sportsbook.

This timeline provides a photo of Illinois' sports gambling history:

March 13, 2026: Illinois wagerers positioned 28.9 million bets in January, down from 36 million throughout the same month in 2025.

March 6, 2026: An Illinois legislator wishes to force forecast market platforms to be licensed and pay state taxes to the tune of 50% of their adjusted gross income.

Feb. 6, 2026: An Illinois lawmaker wants to rescind a per-wager tax on online sports betting operators less than eight months after the Prairie State set up the law.

Jan. 16, 2026: Sports wagering reached an all-time high in Illinois for the 2nd consecutive month with online and retail sportsbooks producing a manage of $1.66 billion, a new record.

Jan. 12, 2026: The Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) associates a 2nd consecutive 15% year-over-year drop in Illinois sports wagering to the Prairie State's 25 cent per-wager tax, with 6.4 million less bets placed.

Dec. 31, 2025: The Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) verified that it filed a suit in Cook County and a demand for a temporary restraining order versus the city's brand-new licensing requirements.

Dec. 23, 2025: Illinoisans set a new state sports betting record with $1.6 billion in wagers throughout October, going beyond the previous deal with high of $1.53 billion set in November 2024.

Dec. 23, 2025: The NHL's Chicago Blackhawks are the very first U.S.-based significant expert sports franchise to partner with a prediction market platform, announcing a pact with Kalshi.

Dec. 22, 2025: Gilbert Villegas, a Chicago city board member, tells the Chicago Tribune that the increase of sports wagering taxes previously this year in Illinois has actually currently caused the decline of sports wagers.

Nov. 17, 2025: The Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) declares Illinois' per-wager tax caused a 15% year-over-year drop in September online wagering in the Prairie State with 5 million less wagers positioned.

Nov. 17, 2025: Sports betting was up 9% year-over-year in Illinois throughout September, but revenue in the first full month of football dropped off substantially.

Oct. 21, 2025: Chicago wants to add its own new tax on Illinois sports wagering, a move that specify lawmakers are working to prevent.

Oct. 17, 2025: The sports wagering market faces a danger of yet another Illinois tax walking with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson presenting his 2026 spending plan proposal to the City Council, consisting of a brand-new "Online Sports Wagering Tax."

Oct. 16, 2025: Illinois sportsbooks produced over $100 million in income for the eighth time in the last 12 months, taking 82% more revenue in August than in the same month in 2024.

Sept. 24, 2025: The Sports Betting Alliance is sounding the alarm over a proposed per-bet tax in Chicago, which would be in addition to the one imposed by Illinois lawmakers in July.

Sept. 24, 2025: Despite a low-volume month with primarily MLB to carry betting, the Illinois Gaming Board reported an $862.5 million manage in July, putting the marketplace second nationally behind only New York.

Sept. 10, 2025: Following Illinois becoming the very first state to execute a per-bet tax, a ranking of Illinois' sportsbooks by charges, minimums from a lot of to least tolerable by Covers' Ryan Butler.

Sept. 2, 2025: All 10 sports betting operators have formally reacted to the per-wager cost used by Illinois lawmakers this summertime, with bet365 the last operator to act.

Aug. 26, 2025: Caesars Sportsbook will be the current sportsbook to start charging a $0.25 charge on each online wager in Illinois, beginning Sept. 1.

Aug. 20, 2025: PENN's Chicagoland retail homes and ESPN BET have ended up being official partners of the Chicago Bears.

Aug. 19, 2025: Illinois' sports wagering operators produced their biggest win rate ever, resulting in 33% year-over-year profits development in June.

Aug. 14, 2025: ESPN BET raises its minimum wager in Illinois to $1 (from $0.10).

Aug. 4, 2025: The Illinois Gaming Board announces improved and consistent advertising guidelines for three facets of gambling: gambling establishments, video gaming, and sports wagering.

July 31, 2025: Licensed online sportsbooks in Illinois are reacting to the new per-bet tax and what it might cost bettors.

July 17, 2025: Illinois' eighth consecutive $1 billion month-to-month deal with moved the state into an elite club, signing up with New York and New Jersey as the only three U.S. states to reach $50 billion in total bets given that the Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018.

July 15, 2025: BetMGM sets a $2.50 minimum bet in Illinois after the state's brand-new tax changes.

July 15, 2025: Illinois is getting closer to officially prohibiting using credit cards in connection with sports betting.

July 10, 2025: Illinois Chief Law Officer Kwame Raoul anticipates that the state will eventually legislate online casino gaming, with factor to consider potentially being offered in 2026.

July 2, 2025: The WNBA's Chicago Sky partnered with online security firm Moonshot to fight online hate, harassment, and abuse targeting players and coaches.

June 19, 2025: The WNBA's Chicago Sky revealed a multi-year partnership with bet365 sportsbook, making them the 5th WNBA group with a sports betting partner.

June 18, 2025: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says Illinois' budget, that includes new tax rate on every online sports wager, showcases state's "hard-earned financial obligation" with the state imposing a $0.25-per-wager rate for the very first 20 million wagers, $0.50 after.

June 17, 2025: April produces an 18% year-over-year sports wagering earnings increase in Illinois, with the Prairie State's online and retail sportsbooks taking in $108 million on an over $1 billion deal with.

June 17, 2025: Lawsuits against prediction market operator Kalshi, and the trading platforms Robinhood, Susquehanna, and Webull, began to turn up across the U.S. this month, with suits submitted in 5 states, consisting of Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Massachusetts and South Carolina.

June 16, 2025: An online study carried out by Covers recommends the 50-cent charge that DraftKings and FanDuel are planning to charge in Illinois might suppress wagering by some customers.

June 12, 2025: DraftKings, similar to competing FanDuel, plans to charge its consumers a 50-cent cost in response to the per-bet tax Illinois lawmakers recently authorized.

June 10, 2025: FanDuel-parent Flutter is alerting that Illinois' brand-new per-bet tax "will disproportionately impact lower betting leisure consumers while likewise punishing those operators who have invested the most to grow the online regulated market in the state."

June 10, 2025: FanDuel moms and dad business Flutter Entertainment will set up a 50-cent surcharge on all wagers in Illinois, in response to Illinois' recent tax walking, which will charge sportsbooks 25-to-50 cents per accepted wager in addition to the 20-to-40% income tax.

June 4, 2025: A just recently implemented DraftKings surcharge on sports bets faced such analysis that public pressure required the business to desert its ideas.

June 3, 2025: Despite pushback from major operators, Illinois is moving on with a substantial modification to its sports wagering tax structure, with rates ranging from 20% to 40% to replace the flat 15% tax on sports wagering income.

June 3, 2025: With the 157th edition of the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course set for Saturday, Caesars Entertainment announced it has actually included pari-mutuel horse racing betting into its sportsbook in Illinois and Indiana.

June 2, 2025: has actually been struck by another tax for online sportsbooks - the new tax, reliable July 1, will be 25 cents per wager for the very first 20 million bets taken in the state in any offered fiscal year, and after that 50 cents per wager after that.

May 27, 2025: Illinois legislators are dealing with pressure as propositions to legislate online gambling establishments have actually stalled before the May 31 adjournment.

May 20, 2025: BetMGM has seen a 157% handle boost on the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl winner futures market considering that Chicago native Robert Prevost was revealed as the brand-new Pope.

May 15, 2025: Illinois gamblers wagered 34.7% more sports wagering dollars in March 2025 than in the same month of the previous year, however win rate below 7% stunted income development.

April 28, 2025: An Illinois male won $350,000 in bets at a gambling establishment in Indiana and $450,000 at a gambling establishment in Iowa totaling $800k, but those gambling establishments, run by Caesars Entertainment, decline to pay out those winnings, declaring he breached rules and regulations and anti-money laundering policies.

April 24, 2025: Illinois sports wagering regulators relocate to prohibit using charge card.

April 21, 2025: An operator-friendly Super Bowl LIX outcome in Illinois resulted in a 53.1% year-over-year February income boost.

April 2, 2025: Illinois problems cease-and-desists orders to forecast business Kalshi, Robinhood, and Crypto.com, signing up with a list of growing states to act against these grey-area books.

March 17, 2025: Illinois lawmakers are considering the legalization of online gaming, likewise referred to as iGaming, as the state deals with a potential budget deficit and economic unpredictability.

March 17, 2025: Illinois bettors still can't position bets on the 2 in-state participants in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, thanks to a restriction that forbids all wagers involving Prairie State teams.

March 16, 2025: bet365 goes reside in Illinois ahead of March Madness, becoming the tenth online sportsbook offered in the Prairie State.

March 14, 2025: Illinois January sports wagering manage is up 14.6% yearly, highlight a boost in online wagering to start 2025.

Feb. 12, 2025: Illinois December sports betting earnings falls almost 18% year-over-year compared to December 2023. However, the state created 75% more tax profits for the whole of 2024 compared to the previous year.

Jan. 15, 2025: Illinois sets a brand-new regular monthly record for sports wagering manage and income in November, collecting $137.2 million in benefit from $1.53 billion wagered.

Dec. 18, 2024: bet365 receives an Illinois sports wagering license to run a retail and online sportsbook, helping it partner with Walker's Bluff Casino Resort.

Dec. 17, 2024: Illinois' profits plunges in October regardless of making a record sports betting deal with.

Nov. 18, 2024: Illinois set a new regular monthly sports betting income high, as the Illinois Gaming Board reported a September handle of $1.31 billion, up 21.3% year-over-year and 50% month-over-month.

Oct. 25, 2024: The NFL demands a ban on prop bets that are "prone to adjustment" in Illinois, such as the very first play of the game, the first pass to be incomplete, and a gamer missing a basket.

Oct. 22, 2024: Illinois sports wagering action increases 30% year-over-year in August, causing almost $60 million in adjusted profits.

Sept. 17, 2024: The Illinois Gaming Board presents brand-new gambling advertising regulations that will apply to regional casino and video gaming operators for the very first time.

Aug. 26, 2024: Hard Rock Bet goes reside in Illinois, making it the ninth online operator in the state.

Aug. 12, 2024: Illinois' operators produce an 11% hold despite the state's diminishing sports betting manage in June.

Aug. 1, 2024: DraftKings is set to present a tax on winning bets in Illinois.

July 9, 2024: Illinois' billion-dollar handle streak grows to nine months, as the state eclipsed $1.02 billion in wagers in May.

June 25, 2024: The Chicago Blackhawks partner with Circa Sports to sponsor an official home jersey patch throughout the next NHL season.

June 18, 2024: Illinois' April handle pushes past New Jersey for the second-biggest sports betting total in the U.S. for the month.

June 18, 2024: Illinois lawmakers safeguard sports wagering tax hike in 2025 spending plan.

June 4, 2024: Illinois Governor indications the new progressive sports betting tax rates into the state's 2025 spending plan and will formally enter impact on July 1, 2024.

May 28, 2024: Analysts say response to sports wagering tax hikes is overblown, specifying Illinois is a "state-specific" case.

May 27, 2024: Major sportsbooks would "reevaluate" their Illinois presence if the state's sports wagering tax hike becomes law.

May 16, 2024: Illinois' March basketball action increases 23% year-over-year, helping sportsbooks create almost $1.3 billion in month-to-month handle.

May 3, 2024: Illinois presents a bill to block Dave & Buster's bets on game video games following the business's current announcement to allow betting between clients on choose video games.

April 5, 2024: Fanatics Sportsbook formally goes on the internet in Illinois.

Feb. 23, 2024: Following Gov. Pritzker's announcement of a proposed tax hike on sports betting recently, Covers' own Geoff Zochodne questions if a sports betting tax walking in Illinois could put a damper on the state's market?

Feb. 22, 2024: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker proposes sports wagering tax walking to combat budget plan deficit, as raising taxes from 15% to 30% would supply an extra $100 million to the state.