A new law signed by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker will permit remote registration as of March 5 and limited bets on in-state schools.
The Illinois Gaming Board has 90 days from receiving online applications to issue a license or licenses at $20 million each as spelled out in the June 2019 law. The current period of in-person registration issued by executive order expires in early April. The extensions helped propel Illinois to a top three market. Illinois set an all-time monthly handle record with $840.4 million in October, which is currently the ninth-largest monthly handle nationally, according to Sports Handle.
The law allows wagering on in-state school competitions, but only for pre-game bets made in person at retail sportsbooks, with no live wagering. Wagers are also limited to the outcomes of games, not individual performances. Also, the in-state ban would be reinstated in two years unless lawmakers pass another bill allowing it.
Wagering on college sports in Illinois totaled more than $789.8 million through the first 10 months of the year. More than 96 percent of that handle came via online wagering, and that handle does not consider bettors who may be including college games in parlay wagers. But the University of Illinois athletic director is among the law’s critics, who have argued it puts student-athletes at risk, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Josh Whitman, University of Illinois athletic director, said athletes could face undue pressure and even physical threats from bettors.
But industry leaders counter that residents can already bet on Illinois teams in nearby Indiana.
The bill also gives Wintrust Arena the option to receive a sports facility sports wagering license, raising the number in Chicago to five.
State Rep. Mike Zalewski, D-Riverside, who spearheads Illinois sports betting legislation, said the tweaked law “strikes the right balance between a modern sports betting market and player safety.”
