In the spring of 2019, the Illinois state legislature passed a bill that allowed Illinois sports wagering at riverboat gambling establishments, horse racetracks, and select sports centers. Online sports wagering arrived in June 2020 with the launch of the BetRivers sportsbook.

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

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

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

Feb. 6, 2026: An Illinois legislator wishes to repeal a per-wager tax on online sports wagering operators less than eight months after the Prairie State instituted the law.

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

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

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

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

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

Dec. 22, 2025: Gilbert Villegas, a Chicago city council member, tells the Chicago Tribune that the boost of sports betting taxes earlier this year in Illinois has already led to the decline 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 throughout September, but income in the very first full month of football dropped off considerably.

Oct. 21, 2025: Chicago wants to add its own new tax on Illinois sports wagering, a relocation that mention legislators are working to avoid.

Oct. 17, 2025: The sports wagering industry faces a threat of yet another Illinois tax walking with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson presenting his 2026 budget plan proposition to the City board, consisting of a brand-new "Online Sports Wagering Tax."

Oct. 16, 2025: Illinois sportsbooks created over $100 million in revenue for the eighth time in the last 12 months, transporting in 82% more income 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 remain in addition to the one enforced by Illinois legislators in July.

Sept. 24, 2025: Despite a low-volume month with mainly MLB to carry wagering, the Illinois Gaming Board reported an $862.5 million deal with in July, placing the market second nationally behind only New York.

Sept. 10, 2025: Following Illinois becoming the first state to carry out a per-bet tax, a ranking of Illinois' sportsbooks by fees, 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 legislators this summer season, with bet365 the last operator to act.

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

Aug. 20, 2025: PENN's Chicagoland retail homes and ESPN BET have become main partners of the Chicago Bears.

Aug. 19, 2025: Illinois' sports betting operators produced their biggest win rate ever, leading to 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 rules for 3 elements of betting: 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 may cost gamblers.

July 17, 2025: Illinois' 8th successive $1 billion regular monthly manage propelled 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 since 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 modifications.

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

July 10, 2025: Illinois Chief Law Officer Kwame Raoul anticipates that the state will ultimately legalize online gambling establishment video gaming, with consideration possibly 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 partnership with bet365 sportsbook, making them the fifth WNBA group with a sports wagering partner.

June 18, 2025: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says Illinois' budget plan, which consists of brand-new tax rate on every online sports wager, showcases state's "hard-earned financial duty" with the state imposing 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 betting profits boost in Illinois, with the Prairie State's online and retail sportsbooks taking in $108 million on an over $1 billion handle.

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

June 16, 2025: An online survey conducted by Covers recommends the 50-cent cost that DraftKings and FanDuel are planning to charge in Illinois could curb betting by some clients.

June 12, 2025: DraftKings, simply like competing FanDuel, plans to charge its consumers a 50-cent fee in reaction 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 affect lower wagering recreational customers while likewise punishing those operators who have invested the most to grow the online controlled market in the state."

June 10, 2025: FanDuel parent company 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 recently implemented DraftKings additional charge on sports bets dealt with such examination that public pressure required the business to desert its ideas.

June 3, 2025: Despite pushback from major operators, Illinois is progressing with a significant change to its sports betting tax structure, with rates varying 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 included 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, reliable July 1, will be 25 cents per wager for the very first 20 million bets taken in the state in any provided financial year, and after that 50 cents per wager after that.

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

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

May 15, 2025: Illinois bettors bet 34.7% more sports wagering dollars in March 2025 than in the very same month of the previous year, but win rate listed below 7% stunted profits development.

April 28, 2025: An Illinois man won $350,000 in bets at a casino in Indiana and $450,000 at a gambling establishment in Iowa amounting to $800k, but those gambling establishments, run by Caesars Entertainment, refuse to pay those payouts, declaring he violated rules and regulations and anti-money laundering policies.

April 24, 2025: Illinois sports betting regulators relocate to ban using charge card.

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

April 2, 2025: Illinois concerns cease-and-desists orders to forecast 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 thinking about the legalization of online betting, also referred to as iGaming, as the state faces a prospective deficit spending and economic uncertainty.

March 17, 2025: Illinois wagerers still can't position bets on the 2 in-state individuals in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, thanks to a ban that restricts all wagers including Prairie State groups.

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

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

Feb. 12, 2025: Illinois December sports wagering profits falls nearly 18% year-over-year compared to December 2023. However, the state created 75% more tax income for the entirety of 2024 compared to the previous year.

Jan. 15, 2025: Illinois sets a new regular monthly record for sports betting handle and income in November, gathering $137.2 million in benefit from $1.53 billion wagered.

Dec. 18, 2024: bet365 gets 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' income drops in October despite making a record sports wagering manage.

Nov. 18, 2024: Illinois set a brand-new month-to-month sports wagering revenue 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 requests a restriction on prop bets that are "vulnerable to control" in Illinois, such as the very first play of the video game, the very first pass to be incomplete, and a gamer missing out on a field goal.

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

Sept. 17, 2024: The Illinois Gaming Board presents brand-new betting advertising policies that will use to local gambling establishment and video gaming operators for the very first time.

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

Aug. 12, 2024: Illinois' operators produce an 11% hold in spite of the sports wagering handle 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 spot throughout the next NHL season.

June 18, 2024: Illinois' April manage presses past New Jersey for the second-biggest sports wagering total in the U.S. for the month.

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

June 4, 2024: Illinois Governor indications the brand-new progressive sports wagering tax rates into the state's 2025 budget and will officially come into result on July 1, 2024.

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

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

May 16, 2024: Illinois' March basketball action rises 23% year-over-year, helping sportsbooks create almost $1.3 billion in monthly manage.

May 3, 2024: Illinois introduces a bill to block Dave & Buster's bets on arcade video games following the business's recent announcement to permit wagering between consumers on select games.

April 5, 2024: Fanatics Sportsbook officially goes online in Illinois.

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

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