A new sports betting bill expected to be ready by the fall would allow Illinois bettors wager on Illinois college. Lawmakers advanced the bill.
The betting ban limits the industry from achieving its full potential or letting bettors wager over the border in Indiana. But college officials say the ban keeps student athletes from being pressured or harassed.
Lawmakers chose a middle ground that requires in-state college wagers be place in person and not online. The provision also prohibits prop bets just allowing wagers on the outcome, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Another part of the bill permits a sportsbook at Wintrust Arena.
The state Senate still needs to approve the legislation which takes up the bill at the end of June.
College teams outside the state have attracted close to $1 billion in bets since the state went live. Some 97 percent were wagered on mobile devices.
“Any loosening of the ban on in-state collegiate betting will ultimately be beneficial for the industry,” according to Joe Boozell, an analyst for the betting website PlayIllinois.com.
