Illinois rocks the boat with 25 cent tax per sportsbook wager

Illinois has just shaken the gamblers’ hornet’s nest – again – with a newly approved plan to charge sportsbooks for each bet made. The move coincides with the Illinois budget, which has had a typical reaction in 2025 from those online.

However, while some detractors appear to be unable to distinguish between “25 cents” and “25 per cent”, the new move appears to be a quick way to drive funds to the budget.

Illinois’ plan will charge 25 cents per bet for the first 20 million bets, on top of any other taxes that come with gambling. After this, it’s 50 cents per bet. We’d expect some prices to go up on certain apps and at your local sportsbook.

The state is already known for its high taxation on gambling. Companies like DraftKings and FanDuel are both subject to taxes as high as 40%, and this new addition – set to come into effect July 1 – will presumably ruffle feathers further.

The Sports Betting Alliance has already gathered an alleged 55,000 email sign-ups against the decision. It’s not clear how far social media outreach will work in this case, as the platform of choice, X (formerly Twitter), doesn’t appear to be gaining much traction.

An additional big gun, Rob Gronkowski, only managed to drum up nine reposts, 39 likes, and four replies to his post about the subject. Gronkowski has over 3 million followers on X. One of these replies was asking for money whereas another seemed to be asking him to stick to other political arguments.

Illinois’ proposal to impose a tax on every sports wager would undermine responsible gaming. It risks incentivizing players to make larger wagers, or turn to unregulated operators that lack adequate RG protections. @speakerwelchIL @donharmonIL @GovPritzker

— Responsible Online Gaming Association (@ROGAssociation) June 1, 2025

ROGA, the Responsible Online Gaming Association that represents different sportsbooks and operators, said that the decision is an “incentivising” move to encourage “players to make larger wagers” or potentially turn to unlicensed operators.

Outside of using celebrity influence, the SBA also posted its own statement, claiming that those betting a single dollar would result in a “massive 25% or 50% tax on handle.”

SBA's statement on the new Illinois sports betting tax: pic.twitter.com/E7EWoxgipG

— Sports Betting Alliance (@SBAllianceUS) June 2, 2025

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