Fanatics Sportsbook Illinois to Add $0.25 Fee Per Bet This Fall
Starting in fall 2025, Fanatics Sportsbook will add a $0.25 fee to every bet placed by users in Illinois. The charge follows a new state tax that came into effect on July 1, 2025. The law requires sportsbooks to pay $0.25 for each of the first 20 million bets annually, after which the rate rises to $0.50 per bet.
Fanatics anticipates staying under that 20-million-bet threshold, keeping its per-bet fee lower than major rivals such as DraftKings and FanDuel. The company stated it would remove the additional charge if Illinois repeals the tax.
“The $0.25 fee is cheaper than the $0.50 fee from DraftKings and FanDuel due to their higher bet volumes, which could attract more customers.”
Industry groups like the Sports Betting Alliance argue the tax disproportionately harms small bettors, and some worry that higher costs may push users toward unregulated offshore platforms lacking consumer protections.
Since legalizing sports betting in 2020, Illinois has handled $48 billion in wagers, indicating a thriving market even amid increased taxation. The per-bet tax forms part of Illinois’s $55.2 billion state budget, signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker, which aims to address a $1 billion budget shortfall. In the last fiscal year, Illinois bettors lost $1.12 billion, including $700 million from parlay bets.
Author’s Summary
Fanatics Sportsbook will introduce a $0.25 per-bet fee in Illinois to offset a new state tax, reflecting how increased regulation reshapes the state’s betting economy.