Illinois Sports Betting Guide | OSB
Illinois Sports Betting Guide
History of Illinois Sports Betting
As is the case with many other states, sports betting in Illinois wasn’t allowed until a 2018 Supreme Court decision in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). The PAPSA prevented sports betting on a state level, but the Supreme Court deemed it unconstitutional for the federal government to have input on state level laws.
In June of 2019, the Illinois House of Representatives passed SB 690 with a 87-27 vote. The Senate soon followed, passing the measure with a 46-10 vote, showing that there was an overwhelming amount of support on both floors. Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Sports Wagering Act into law later that month.
Although the bill became law in June of 2019, the first sports wager in Illinois did not take place until March of 2020. Similar to other states, the COVID-19 pandemic had a direct impact on Illinois sports betting, as the sporting world was shut down later that month with Illinois only bringing in $72,000 in revenue. There would be no further revenue until June of that year, when the state brought in nearly $370,000 in revenue. As things began to revert to normal, sports betting revenue in Illinois boomed, as the state made $125 million in revenue over the final six months of 2020.
In 2021, the first full year of sports betting in Illinois, revenue doubled the full year projection from the second half of 2020, as the state brought in over $526 million in revenue. With data available for the first quarter of 2022, Illinois has brought in over $155 million, and projects to bring in over $620 million for the year, a nearly $100 million increase from their very impressive first year total.
What does this mean going forward?
As with many of the other states we have covered, sports betting in Illinois will not be going anywhere. After making over half a billion in revenue in the first year, and with numbers that are rising, the state could look to expand by adding more online sportsbooks, more retail sportsbooks, or possibly both.
The big returns in Illinois, the sixth most populated state, could influence larger states, like California and Texas or similarly populated states such as Ohio and Georgia, to legalize sports betting. California, particularly with a population three times the size of Illinois, could be thinking that sports betting has the potential to bring in over $1 billion annually.
How to bet in Illinois
There are currently seven retail casinos and one horse racing track that allow sports betting in Illinois. In addition, seven online apps have launched in the state, with BetRivers Sportsbook being the first to launch in June 2020. DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook launched two months later in August, while, one month later, PointsBet Sportsbook was the final to launch in 2020.
Barstool Sportsbook was the only sportsbook to launch in Illinois in 2021, as it went live in March. In 2022, so far, two sportsbooks, Caesars Sportsbook and BetMGM Sportsbook, launched, both opening in March. Bally Bet Sportsbook, FOXBet Sportsbook, and Circa Sports could all potentially join the market in Illinois in the second half of 2022.
Illinois sports bettors are able to bet on all sports, including baseball, basketball, football, boxing, MMA, soccer, hockey, golf, tennis, auto racing, and horse racing. With more sportsbooks expected to open, revenue could potentially increase even further.
