In the spring of 2019, the Illinois state legislature passed an expense that permitted Illinois sports wagering 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 gamblers put 28.9 million bets in January, down from 36 million throughout the exact same month in 2025.

March 6, 2026: An Illinois legislator wants to require prediction market platforms to be certified and pay state taxes to the tune of 50% of their adjusted gross earnings.

Feb. 6, 2026: An Illinois lawmaker wishes to rescind a per-wager tax on online sports wagering 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 successive month with online and retail sportsbooks creating a deal with of $1.66 billion, a new record.

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

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

Dec. 23, 2025: Illinoisans set a new state sports wagering record with $1.6 billion in wagers throughout October, exceeding the previous manage high of $1.53 billion embeded 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 forecast market platform, revealing a pact with Kalshi.

Dec. 22, 2025: Gilbert Villegas, a Chicago city council member, informs the Chicago Tribune that the increase of sports wagering taxes earlier this year in Illinois has currently resulted in the decrease of sports wagers.

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

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

Oct. 21, 2025: Chicago wishes to include its own new tax on Illinois sports wagering, a relocation that state lawmakers are working to avoid.

Oct. 17, 2025: The sports wagering industry deals with a risk of yet another Illinois tax walking with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson providing his 2026 spending plan proposal to the City Council, consisting of a new "Online Sports Wagering Tax."

Oct. 16, 2025: Illinois sportsbooks generated over $100 million in profits for the 8th time in the last 12 months, taking 82% more revenue in August than in the very 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 enforced by Illinois legislators 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 city.

Sept. 10, 2025: Following Illinois becoming the very first state to implement a per-bet tax, a ranking of Illinois' sportsbooks by costs, minimums from the majority of to least bearable by Covers' Ryan Butler.

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

Aug. 26, 2025: Caesars Sportsbook will be the most recent sportsbook to begin charging a $0.25 fee on each online wager in Illinois, beginning Sept. 1.

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

Aug. 19, 2025: Illinois' sports betting operators produced their most significant win rate ever, causing 33% year-over-year revenue 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 enhanced and consistent marketing guidelines for 3 aspects of gambling: casinos, 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 successive $1 billion monthly deal with moved the state into an elite club, joining New York and New Jersey as the only 3 U.S. states to reach $50 billion in total bets considering that the Supreme Court reversed PASPA in 2018.

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

July 15, 2025: Illinois is getting closer to formally banning making use of charge card in connection with sports wagering.

July 10, 2025: Illinois Attorney General Of The United States Kwame Raoul forecasts that the state will eventually legislate online casino video gaming, with consideration potentially being given up 2026.

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

June 19, 2025: The WNBA's Chicago Sky announced a multi-year collaboration with bet365 sportsbook, making them the fifth WNBA team with a sports betting partner.

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

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

June 17, 2025: Lawsuits versus prediction market operator Kalshi, and the trading platforms Robinhood, Susquehanna, and Webull, started to pop up throughout the U.S. this month, with lawsuits submitted in five states, consisting of Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Massachusetts and South Carolina.

June 16, 2025: An online survey performed by Covers recommends the 50-cent fee that DraftKings and FanDuel are preparing to charge in Illinois could curb betting by some consumers.

June 12, 2025: DraftKings, simply like rival FanDuel, prepares to charge its clients a 50-cent cost in reaction to the per-bet tax Illinois lawmakers recently approved.

June 10, 2025: FanDuel-parent Flutter is cautioning that Illinois' new per-bet tax "will disproportionately affect lower wagering leisure consumers while also penalizing those operators who have invested the most to grow the online managed market in the state."

June 10, 2025: FanDuel parent company Flutter Entertainment will institute a 50-cent additional charge on all wagers in Illinois, in response to Illinois' current tax walking, which will charge sportsbooks 25-to-50 cents per accepted wager in addition to the 20-to-40% revenue tax.

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

June 3, 2025: Despite pushback from significant operators, Illinois is progressing with a considerable modification to its sports betting tax structure, with rates ranging from 20% to 40% to change the flat 15% tax on sports betting income.

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

June 2, 2025: Illinois has been struck by another tax for online sportsbooks - the brand-new tax, efficient 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 lawmakers are facing pressure as propositions to legislate online gambling establishments have stalled before the May 31 adjournment.

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

May 15, 2025: Illinois bettors wagered 34.7% more sports betting dollars in March 2025 than in the exact same month of the previous year, however win rate below 7% stunted earnings growth.

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 to $800k, but those gambling establishments, run by Caesars Entertainment, decline to pay out those payouts, declaring he breached rules and regulations and anti-money laundering policies.

April 24, 2025: Illinois sports betting regulators move to ban making use of charge card.

April 21, 2025: An operator-friendly Super Bowl LIX outcome in Illinois led to a 53.1% year-over-year February revenue increase.

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

March 17, 2025: Illinois legislators are considering the legalization of online gaming, likewise known as iGaming, as the state faces a potential deficit spending and financial unpredictability.

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

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

March 14, 2025: Illinois January sports wagering deal with is up 14.6% each year, highlight an increase in online betting to start 2025.

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

Jan. 15, 2025: Illinois sets a brand-new month-to-month record for sports betting handle and revenue in November, collecting $137.2 million in benefit from $1.53 billion wagered.

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

Dec. 17, 2024: Illinois' revenue drops in October despite making a record sports wagering manage.

Nov. 18, 2024: Illinois set a new month-to-month 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 "vulnerable to manipulation" in Illinois, such as the very first play of the game, the first pass to be incomplete, and a player missing a basket.

Oct. 22, 2024: Illinois sports betting action rises 30% year-over-year in August, leading to nearly $60 million in adjusted income.

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

Aug. 26, 2024: Acid rock Bet goes live in Illinois, making it the ninth online operator in the state.

Aug. 12, 2024: Illinois' operators produce an 11% hold regardless of the state's diminishing sports betting deal with in June.

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

July 9, 2024: Illinois' billion-dollar manage streak grows to 9 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 during the next NHL season.

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

June 18, 2024: Illinois legislators protect sports wagering tax walking in 2025 budget plan.

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

May 28, 2024: Analysts say response to sports betting tax walkings is overblown, mentioning Illinois is a "state-specific" case.

May 27, 2024: Major sportsbooks would "review" their Illinois existence if the state's sports betting tax hike becomes law.

May 16, 2024: Illinois' March basketball action increases 23% year-over-year, assisting sportsbooks generate almost $1.3 billion in regular monthly manage.

May 3, 2024: Illinois presents a bill to block Dave & Buster's bets on arcade video games following the company's current statement to permit wagering in between consumers on select 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 wagering tax hike in Illinois could put a damper on the state's market?

Feb. 22, 2024: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker proposes sports wagering tax hike to fight deficit spending, as raising taxes from 15% to 30% would offer an extra $100 million to the state.