The Land of Lincoln's sports wagering and casino landscape continued to evolve Monday.
The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) announced enhanced and uniformed advertising rules for three elements of gambling: casinos, video gaming, and sports betting, highlighted by banning ads on college campuses.
Key takeaways
- The IGB debuted enhanced and uniformed ad rules for all gambling facets within the state.
- This includes broadcast, digital, and print advertising and marketing materials.
- The new requirements emphasize protecting problem gamblers and young people.
Based on data from the 2023-24 academic year, there are 249 colleges and universities in the state (63 public, 186 private).
Illinois will implement new rules to protect the state's population with an emphasis on problem gamblers and young adults.
“By adopting these measures, the IGB is building upon existing regulations to implement additional safeguards and standards that further protect the public and encourage responsible gambling habits,” said IGB Administrator Marcus D. Fruchter in a news release. “These regulations provide for clear, consistent, ethical, and transparent advertising and marketing guidelines for all casino, video gaming, and sports wagering operations under IGB jurisdiction.”
The new and expanded rules ensure that any kinds of gambling ads aren't placed in locations where underage or vulnerable populations are likely to see them. They'll also require gambling operators to maintain ad records and include prominent, responsible gaming messages in advertising, marketing and promotions.
The board looked over the sports wagering, advertising, and marketing rules the state adopted in 2020 and determined those limitations apply equally to video gaming and casinos as well.
Breakdown of the rules
• Prohibition from having ads or promotions published, aired, broadcast, displayed, or distributed on any college or university campus, or college or university media outlets such as college or university newspapers and radio or television broadcasts, or any sports venues used primarily for college and university events.
The IGB oversees all aspects of gambling within the state, home to 17 casinos, close to 9,000 licensed video gaming locations, and 14 sportsbooks.
Effective July 1, the Illinois hit online sportsbooks with a new tax: 25 cents per wager for the first 20 million bets taken within in the state in any given fiscal year, and another 50 cents per bet after that.
