ESPN Bet issues $1 minimum wager policy in Illinois
The decision was confirmed by Penn Entertainment and is currently stated within the operator’s House Rules for Illinois residents.
Key Points
- Illinois House Bill 1928 will introduce a $0.25 per wager tax for the first 20 million bets accepted by a sportsbook operating within the state, increasing to $0.50 for all bets thereafter
- ESPN Bet chose a similar path as BetMGM and Hard Rock Bet, which implemented minimum bet requirements of $2.50 and $2, respectively, in July 2025
ESPN Bet has updated its Illinois House Rules to include a $1 minimum bet requirement for all users within the state following lawmakers passing House Bill 1928 which is set to introduce a $0.25 per wager tax for the first 20 million wagers accepted by a sportsbook, increasing to $0.50 for all bets thereafter.
The decision was confirmed by Penn Entertainment, having chosen a similar path as BetMGM and Hard Rock Bet which implemented minimum bet requirements of $2.50 and $2, respectively, in July 2025.
“Starting Wednesday, July 16, 2025, BetMGM will increase the minimum bet for all wagers to $2.50. The change will be applicable to all wager types – including, but not limited to, straight bets, parlays, Same Game Parlay and round robins,” BetMGM said within the release.
“This will also include bonus bets, bonuses, or any tokens having minimum bet requirement of $2.50. Should you have any questions, please reach out to our Customer Care team.”
Good to know: The Illinois Gaming Board released the state’s casino activity for July 2025 on August 13, including a total revenue of $167.5m which equates to an increase of 23.3% from the prior year period
The recent decisions follow action taken by fellow operators such as DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics Betting and Gaming, which all announced a per wager transaction fee in response to the state budget being passed.
DraftKings and FanDuel will impose a $0.50 per wager transaction fee due to the likelihood of each operator surpassing the 20m bet threshold, while Fanatics Betting and Gaming will enforce a $0.25 transaction fee for Illinois customers.
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