BetMGM told customers it would require a $2.50 minimum wager in Illinois from 16 July, while Hard Rock Bet has introduced a $2 minimum. The operators’ changes follow a tax structure that charges $0.25 per bet on the first 20 million wagers and $0.50 thereafter, effective 1 July.
The minimums change the entry-level stake customers can place with two Illinois sportsbooks.
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Illinois sports bettors placed five million fewer wagers in September 2025 than in September 2024, a 15% decline, according to data attributed to the Illinois Gaming Board. The Sports Betting Alliance blamed the new per-wager tax, while the report noted seasonal fluctuations could also have affected the figures; FanDuel and DraftKings introduced a $0.50 fee per wager.
Illinois recorded 15% fewer sports bets in September, with five million fewer wagers, according to figures attributed to the Illinois Gaming Board. Bettors wagered $1.4bn, while sportsbook revenue fell to $103m from $131m a year earlier; the levy generated $10.6m in receipts. Sports Betting Alliance of Illinois spokesperson Maura Possley said the tax increase was driving players away from regulated betting.
Illinois and Kentucky enacted wide-ranging gambling legislation this summer that included new daily fantasy sports rules. The measures followed headline prediction market tax proposals and could guide other states' DFS regulation.
BetRivers has raised its minimum online sports bet in Illinois to $5, according to the report. The report says a per-bet fee introduced by the state was a factor in operators changing their minimums; BetRivers’ bet count fell by about a third to 2.8 million after the fee began.
BetMGM raised its minimum wager in Illinois to $2.50 from Wednesday, applying the floor to all bets, including parlays and bonus bets. The sportsbook is responding to the state’s per-wager tax; Hard Rock Bet has set a $2 minimum, while DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics announced plans for customer surcharges.