It certainly was a busy day for Circa Sports on Friday.
Circa announced that it's raising its minimum bet to $10 in Illinois to combat the recent tax hike that was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker in mid-June.
Key Takeaways
- Circa announces $10 minimum betting in Illinois, rather than implementing surcharge for each wager.
- Illinois implemented per-bet tax in early July.
- Circa Sportsbook earns one of two untethered mobile sports betting licenses in state of Missouri.
Passed by state lawmakers, the per-bet tax requires online Illinois sports betting operators to pay 25 cents per bet for their first 20 million wagers in a year. After that, operators must pay 50 cents a bet.
All 10 sports betting platforms that operate in the Prairie State have each implemented their own requirements to off-set the new tax law.
Below are three major operators and what they have chosen to do moving forward:
- DraftKings bettors will pay a 50-cent “transaction fee” on all online sports wagers starting Sept. 1.
- ESPN BET has instituted a $1 minimum bet requirement that took effect on Friday, Aug. 8, up from the previous 10-cent minimum.
- FanDuel has charged a 50-cent transaction fee for all bets.
"After thoughtful consideration, we believe the best course of action for a low-hold, high-volume sportsbook such as Circa Sports is to raise the minimum wager in Illinois. We are reluctant to compromise our best-in-class betting splits or charge our customers a per-bet fee," said Derek Stevens, CEO at Circa Sports, on X.
After thoughtful consideration, we believe the best course of action for a low-hold, high-volume sportsbook such as @CircaSports is to raise the minimum wager in Illinois. We are reluctant to compromise our best-in-class betting splits or charge our customers a per-bet fee.… pic.twitter.com/hrg5xPHufq
— Derek Stevens (@DerekJStevens) August 15, 2025
Rather than adding a tax onto each bet, Circa has raised the minimum bet requirement for bettors in the state. So if you like to casually wager $2 or $5 on any kind of wager, you are going to have to dig deeper in your pockets.
Circa enters Missouri market
In a surprising move, the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) awarded Circa Sportsbook one of the state's first two mobile sports betting licenses Friday. DraftKings, the nation's No. 2 sportsbook by handle, earned the other license.
Both Circa and DraftKings are set to accept wagers on the state’s Dec. 1 legal sports betting launch.
"We're pleased to secure one of two direct mobile licenses in Missouri – paving the way for us to bring DraftKings' industry-leading online sportsbook to fans across the state," DraftKings president and co-founder Matt Kalish said in a statement.
FanDuel was the third applicant for the two “untethered” licenses awarded Friday. Hours after failing to obtain, the U.S. market share leader found a partner, entering into an agreement with Major League Soccer team St. Louis City SC to become one of the several operators that will launch sports betting on Dec. 1.
