Illinois Sports Wagering Licensed Under 230 ILCS 45

The Sports Wagering Act (230 ILCS 45), enacted as part of Illinois's 2019 gaming expansion, makes sports wagering lawful in Illinois only when conducted under a license the Illinois Gaming Board issues. Section 25-45 lets the Board grant a master sports wagering license to an online sports wagering operator; applicants pay a nonrefundable $250,000 application fee, then the initial license itself costs $15,000,000, is valid for four years, and carries a $1,000,000 fee to renew for another four years. Parallel sections let the state's licensed casinos (organization licensees, Sec.

25-30), horse racing tracks (owners licensees, Sec. 25-35), and professional sports facilities (Sec. 25-40) each hold or designate a master license instead of applying as a standalone online operator. Section 25-25 sets the rules for every wager placed under any of these licenses: bettors must be at least 21 and physically located in Illinois, wagers on minor league and K-12 sporting events are barred outright, and betting on Illinois college teams was allowed only through July 1, 2024, for in-person, non-individual-performance tier 1 wagers. 'Tier 2' wagers, those tied to the score, outcome, or performance within a game, such as prop bets, require licensees to use data from a league-approved official source once a sports governing body notifies the Board.

50 above 20,000,000 annual wagers) applies starting July 1, 2025. Section 25-107 pulls in the Illinois Gambling Act and its rules to fill any gap the Sports Wagering Act leaves, though the Sports Wagering Act controls wherever the two conflict.

Taking or placing a sports wager outside a Board-licensed master licensee, supplier, or management services provider is unlicensed gambling; Section 25-107 pulls in the Illinois Gambling Act's penalties for any conduct the Sports Wagering Act doesn't separately address. The Illinois Gaming Board can deny, suspend, or revoke a master, supplier, or management services license for violating the Act or Board rules, and licensees who accept barred bets, on K-12 games, minor league contests, or (before July 1, 2024) most Illinois college matchups, risk that same discipline.