Illinois sportsbook operator BetMGM has told its customers in the state that it will raise the minimum betting stake to $2.50 starting Wednesday, July 16. The company didn’t announce the increase publicly, instead sending a letter to registered customers directly. One of the recipients later published the letter on X:
Written on the letterhead of Par-A-Dice Casino, BetMGM’s land-based casino partner in Illinois, the notice stated that the new minimum will be “applicable to all wager types – including, but not limited to, straight bets, parlays, same game parlay and round robins.” The new requirement will also include bonus bets, bonuses, or tokens.
sportsbooks now face a $0.25 charge on every bet of the first 20 million online sports wagers
BetMGM joins over half of Illinois betting operators who decided to increase minimum stakes and introduce transaction fees in response to the bet levy that state legislators introduced on the last day of the legislative session in late May. As part of the state’s recent $55.2bn budget, Illinois sportsbooks now face a $0.25 charge on every bet of the first 20 million online sports wagers placed in the state, and a $0.50 charge on every bet thereafter.
Other sportsbooks in Illinois, including FanDuel, DraftKings, and Fanatics, have already confirmed they will implement transaction fees on bets, while Hard Rock Bet has implemented a $2 minimum on wagers.
