- Illinois’ General Assembly has passed a bill to allow for major changes to sports betting in IL.
- The bill brings back online registration for sportsbooks, which were previously allowed under an executive order.
- The bill also allows for limited collegiate wagering on in-state teams.
CHICAGO - Illinois has finally taken steps to allow bettors to wager on their hometown college teams, as well as register for sports betting online.
For years, despite Illinois being a relatively early adopter of sports betting, their laws included a provision that prohibited sportsbooks from offering odds on collegiate athletics within Illinois. Additionally, in order to sign up with mobile sportsbooks, bettors needed to travel to a retail sportsbook.
This provision was temporarily lifted due to COVID-19, but now there could be a permanent solution.
An amendment to House Bill 3136 passed both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly, and that amendment allows bettors to sign up for sports betting online, as well as to wager on collegiate athletics.
Wagering On College Sports In Illinois
HB 3136 would change everything by allowing a temporary period - set to end in 2023 - that allows for action on Illinois colleges.
It can be extended if the General Assembly wishes to do so. However, it is not a full lifting of restrictions on college wagering. All college wagers must be placed at a physical sportsbook, and player props are still not allowed.
Mobile Sportsbook Signup In Illinois
HB 3136 codifies an aspect of Illinois’ online gambling ecosystem that has been de facto present for most of the COVID-19 pandemic - the ability to sign up for sportsbooks online.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued an order allowing Illinois sports betting users to sign up online instead of in-person multiple times over the course of the pandemic. However, Pritzker’s order ended in April, which pushed bettors back to physical signups.
HB 3136 makes Pritzker’s order permanent and is set to take effect on March 4, 2022, just in time for March Madness.
The bill is currently on the desk of Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who is expected to sign it, although nothing is final until he does.