A progressive sports betting tax hike in Illinois that has sparked controversy in the industry is set to begin July 1.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed off on a $53.1 million 2025 state spending plan Wednesday that would include - in the revenue package - a sports betting tax hike that has some of the biggest sportsbook brands concerned they could get priced out of the market.
Pritzker has yet to sign the revenue package, but plans to do so without any alterations by July 1.
Following last week’s legislative passing of House Bill 4951 to raise the previous rate from 15%, Pritzker got his wish to use online and retail sports betting and tax changes to help generate $1.1 billion of new revenue in the Land of Lincoln.
“This budget builds on years of economic momentum that is revitalizing communities up and down the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “We are on a trajectory of sustainable long-term growth.”
In February, I said we would continue Illinois' tradition of taking on the real challenges we face and build for the future.
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) June 5, 2024
Don't let the doom grifters steal your optimism about what’s ahead.
Our path is bright as evidenced by the budget I signed into law. pic.twitter.com/YBe17JxBfF
Rising rates
Pritzker proposed a 35% tax increase on sportsbooks in February to add at least $100 million of Illinois sports betting revenue yearly.
The House passed the tax-changing bill on May 26 before the Senate added the progressive rates a day later. The bill went back to the House for concurrence and was approved on May 29.
The tax rate for each operator will be determined by adjusted gross revenue:
| Operator AGR | Tax Rate |
|---|---|
| $30 million or less | 20% |
| $30-50 million | 25% |
| $50-100 million | 30% |
| $100-200 million | 35% |
| $200 million and up | 40% |
The tax rate for online and retail sports betting companies will be assessed separately instead of being combined.
Illinois joined New York and New Jersey as the only three U.S. states to reach $1 billion in sports betting revenue in 2023. The Land of Lincoln hauled in more than $150 million in tax revenue for the year.
Let the fallout begin
The Sports Betting Alliance, which includes DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Fanatics Sportsbook, opposed the tax hike, claiming the sports betting companies would have to change how they do business or even cause them to pull out of the market.
Analysts at the banking firm Jeffries disagreed with that notion, but Illinois’ new tax rate led to a negative stock market reaction for DraftKings and FanDuel.
The middle and upper tiers of the Land of Lincoln’s new tax rates put the state among the highest in the U.S. New York charges operators 51% of gross revenue, the highest in the country, to do business in the Empire State while Pennsylvania’s tax rate is 36%.
Operators also fear a U.S. trend. New Jersey legislators want to see the Garden State’s tax rate rise from 13% to 30%. A Senate bill in Massachusetts proposed an increase from 20% to 51%, but it never made it out of the chamber.
“I think that more time is not a friend to the industry,” Indian Gaming Association conference chair Victor Rocha said last week. “I think a lot of people are reevaluating. That’s the reason for the big push.”
