Illinois Gaming Board pulls plug on Russian sports betting following Ukraine invasion

Illinois Gaming Board pulls plug on Russian sports betting following Ukraine invasion

Article brief provided by Chicago Sun Times
  • Mitchell Armentrout, Chicago Sun Times
March 11, 2022 8:05 PM
  • Mitchell Armentrout, Chicago Sun Times

While President Joe Biden is going after Russian oligarchs’ bank accounts, Illinois gambling regulators are going after their sports betting markets.

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In a largely symbolic declaration issued two weeks after the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter on Thursday banned the state’s sportsbooks from laying odds on Russian contests, calling it “contrary to public policy.”

Fruchter’s edict means casinos can’t take bets on “any sports event, league or competition” in Russia or Belarus, the eastern European nation that has aided Russian President Vladimir Putin in his violent assault on Ukraine.