CHICAGO – Ahead of Super Bowl LX, the Sports Betting Alliance cautioned Illinois policymakers as a third consecutive month of Illinois Gaming Board data showed a significant decline in legal sports betting following the implementation of the state’s per-wager tax last fall. As sports fans nationwide are predicted to contribute to record levels of legal sports wagering for this Sunday’s game, the data is a warning sign that Illinois players may be exiting the legal sports betting market in favor of cheaper – yet predatory and riskier – illegal betting sites and bookies.
The Illinois Gaming Board’s November 2025 Sports Wagering Report showed a 15.4 % decrease in sports bets placed in the state, or 6.1 million fewer bets, when compared to November 2024. The data shows the third consecutive 15% drop in legal bets placed since September 2025, when the state’s per-wager tax was fully implemented in Illinois.
Enacted in July 2025, the Illinois per-wager tax forced companies to add fees or raise the minimum amounts required to place a bet on their platforms. The decline in betting activity in the state since that time is a dramatic departure from trends in other states.
“Football fans nationwide are set to contribute to record levels of legal sports betting this Sunday, but a concerning trend is unfolding in Illinois, with millions of bets disappearing from the legal market,” the SBA said in a statement. “Illinois’ recent tax hikes are undercutting the protections of the legal market, sending players to cheaper, riskier and predatory illegal options instead.”
Since sports betting was legalized in Illinois, a graduated tax on the industry was passed in 2024 followed by the per-wager tax. A third Chicago tax was implemented January 1 of 10.25% on sports betting in city limits. The Sports Betting Alliance is challenging the tax in court.
The illegal sports betting market has been the target of concern of the FBI and Illinois’ top consumer advocates. The FBI recently issued a warning to the risks of the illegal market, noting that “individuals engaged in illegal gambling risk funding organized crime activity and becoming vulnerable to violence, extortion, and fraud.” In addition, the Illinois Attorney General was among 50 state attorneys general across the country who called on the U.S. Department of Justice to take action against the illegal market because of the impact on consumers. The Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois has also recently reported a growing number of online illegal gaming sites are scamming consumers’ money, following more than 10,000 complaints to the BBB from 2022 to mid-2025.