Illinois has officially updated its sports betting tax rate, with Governor J.B. Pritzker signing the tax into law despite strong opposition from the Sports Betting Alliance (SBA).
Illinois Hiking Sports Betting Tax Rate To 40%
The new tax law will be officially put into place on the 1st of July, with sportsbook operators taxed between 20-40% depending on their adjusted gross revenue.
Sportsbooks with over $200million in gross revenue will be taxed at the 40% mark, while those with revenue below that mark will be taxed accordingly on a sliding scale with a minimum of 20%.
Illinois’ tax rate increasing from 15% to up to 40% is one of the largest jumps in sports betting tax history – with only New York taxing more at a rate of 51%.
Speaking after signing the new tax into law, Governor J.B. Pritzker said: “They’re [sports betting tax] not leaving New York, and they’re not leaving the other states.
“You see we’re the third-largest sports betting market for sports betting companies, and we had a much lower tax rate than many of the largest of those markets.
“Companies that can pay more pay more. And, indeed, we kept the tax on sportsbooks lower than the top states in that arena.”
A new tax rate caused outrage with some, with the Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) in strong opposition to the new tax rate before its approval.
The SBA is made up of the nation’s leading sportsbook operators, including the likes of FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM and Fanatics, so it was no surprise they came with strong opposition to the tax hike.
Despite the SBA saying that the tax hike is an “extremely disappointing decision that will cause real harm,” the law has been passed and there is nothing the operators can do to contest it now.
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