Earlier this year, the United States Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 and opened the door for legal sports betting in all 50 states. The legal sports betting industry is working hard to ensure that online gambling is a responsible and effective solution to the problem of gambling.
While sports betting remains illegal on a federal level, many states are now considering the legalization of sports betting. Twenty states have passed legislation to allow residents to wager on sporting events via the Internet. However, only six states have legalized sports betting.
Illinois was one of the few states that passed legislation to require sportsbooks to purchase data from professional leagues. While the law allowed bets to be placed on professional sports venues, betting on in-state college teams was prohibited. However, the law was amended in 2021 to allow betting on in-state college teams at retail locations.
Several online sportsbooks have been launched in Illinois. Rush Street Interactive and FanDuel are two of the leading sportsbooks in the state.
The first sportsbook to launch in Illinois was BetRivers, which is owned by Rush Street Interactive. While BetRivers may not be the most exciting product on the market, it does offer a wide variety of betting markets. It also offers self-serve kiosks for bettors to place their wagers.
Betting on in-state college teams will remain prohibited online. Illinois will also require that Internet-only operators wait at least 18 months before launching standalone apps.