Progressive sports betting tax with top rate of 40% passes Illinois House, heads to governor’s desk

Wednesday, May 29, 2024 8:35 PM
  • Chris Altruda, Sports Handle

The Illinois House of Representatives voted for concurrence on a series of amendments to House Bill 4951 in the early hours of Wednesday morning, including one that would replace the state’s current 15% flat tax rate on adjusted gross operator sports betting revenue to a progressive one ranging from 20% to 40%.

HB 4951 passed despite strident criticisms from the Sports Betting Alliance, which represents mobile operators FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Fanatics Sportsbook. It now heads to the desk of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who is expected to sign it into law. Pritzker originally called to raise the tax rate to a flat 35% in February when he unveiled his $53.1 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2025, but the progressive tax rate gained traction when introduced Saturday.