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Fanatics Illinois: Safe, But That Bet Now Costs 25¢ More

Fanatics Illinois is legal and licensed, and it was the last stop on Fanatics' two-year march to absorb PointsBet's entire US book of business. It launched here on April 5, 2024 — Illinois was either the 19th or 20th state, depending on which press release you read, but either way it closed out the acquisition. What changed since isn't legality; it's a 25-cent fee now stapled to every online wager.

Legal status in Illinois

Illinois legalized sports wagering under the Sports Wagering Act, part of the 2019 gaming expansion law (Public Act 101-31), with the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) licensing operators starting in 2020. Fanatics did not apply for an Illinois license from scratch; it inherited PointsBet's standing by completing its $225 million acquisition of PointsBet's US business on April 3, 2024, then launching the Fanatics-branded app here two days later on April 5, 2024 — the final state in that multi-state conversion. PointsBet account holders kept their usernames, balances, rewards points, and self-exclusion settings through the switch. Illinois has not authorized online casino gaming for any operator, so there is no Fanatics Casino here, unlike the four states where that product exists. What has changed since launch is cost: the state replaced its flat tax with a progressive 20%-to-40% rate on handle in the FY2025 budget, added a per-wager fee of 25 cents (50 cents above 20 million annual bets) effective July 1, 2025, and Chicago layered its own 10.25% city tax on top starting January 1, 2026. Fanatics began passing its 25-cent share directly to bettors as a surcharge in fall 2025 and says it will drop the fee if the state repeals it — a repeal bill, HB 5143, was still sitting in committee as of early 2026.

State gambling authority: Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) — licenses every sportsbook operator in the state, including Fanatics, and administers the graduated revenue tax and per-wager fee that now shape the price of a bet here.

Fanatics Illinois is legal and safe to use, licensed by the Illinois Gaming Board — but the question worth asking in 2026 isn't whether it's allowed, it's why a bet here suddenly costs a quarter more than it used to. Fanatics launched in Illinois on April 5, 2024, closing out a roughly two-year run of state-by-state conversions after buying PointsBet's entire US sportsbook business.

Is Fanatics Legal in Illinois?

Illinois legalized sports wagering back in 2019 under the Sports Wagering Act, part of a broader gaming expansion law known as Public Act 101-31, with the Illinois Gaming Board licensing operators starting in 2020. Fanatics never applied for its own Illinois license from a blank page. It closed its $225 million acquisition of PointsBet's US business on April 3, 2024, and the Fanatics-branded app went live here two days later — the last state to flip over in that entire multi-state transition.

Last state, not first: Fanatics itself counted Illinois as its 19th market; at least one trade outlet called it the 20th and final one in the PointsBet conversion. Either way, Illinois bettors were the last to see the PointsBet app disappear.

Why a Fanatics Bet in Illinois Now Costs 25 Cents More

Legality hasn't changed since 2024. Cost has. Illinois reworked its sports-betting tax twice in two years: a progressive 20%-to-40% rate on handle landed in the FY2025 state budget, then lawmakers added a flat per-wager fee on top of that — 25 cents for each of an operator's first 20 million annual bets, 50 cents for every bet past that threshold — effective July 1, 2025.

State handle tax: 20%–40%, progressive by volume

Per-wager fee: $0.25 (first 20M bets), $0.50 beyond

Chicago city tax: 10.25%, effective January 1, 2026

Regulator: Illinois Gaming Board

Because Fanatics' Illinois volume sits well under that 20-million-bet line, its exposure is the lower 25-cent rate — and rather than absorb it, Fanatics joined DraftKings and FanDuel in passing the fee straight to the bettor as a per-wager surcharge, starting in fall 2025. Chicago bettors pay an extra layer on top: the city added its own 10.25% tax on wagers placed within city limits beginning January 1, 2026. A repeal bill from state representative Daniel Didech, HB 5143, would kill the per-wager fee as of July 1, 2026, but it was still parked in committee heading into this year — don't assume the 25-cent line disappears until the IGB says it has.

Is Fanatics Legit and Safe in Illinois?

Legit, yes — Illinois isn't a market Fanatics backed into quietly. The app runs under active IGB oversight, the same regulator that licenses DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars here, with the standard geolocation checks and a real complaint channel if something goes wrong. Safe follows from that: mandatory responsible-gaming tools, deposit and time limits, and self-exclusion through the state's program apply to Fanatics exactly as they do to any other IGB licensee. The PointsBet-to-Fanatics switch was a corporate and technical transition, not a loosening of the compliance bar.

No Casino Here

Anyone hunting for "Fanatics Casino Illinois" is hunting for something that doesn't exist in this state — and won't, regardless of what Fanatics does, until Illinois lawmakers legalize online casino gaming at all. No operator offers it here. Fanatics Casino is a four-state product: Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Who It Fits

Illinois bettors who already had a PointsBet account got the smoothest possible handoff — same balance, same rewards, new logo. Everyone else gets a fully licensed sportsbook with one real catch: budget for the 25-cent-per-bet surcharge, and more if you're betting from inside Chicago. It's still gambling, not a plan for income. Set limits before you start, and Illinois' self-exclusion program and 1-800-GAMBLER are there if it stops being fun. 21+ only.

Fanatics Sportsbook Illinois — Frequently Asked Questions

Is Fanatics legal in Illinois?

Yes. Fanatics Sportsbook operates under an Illinois Gaming Board license it inherited by completing its $225 million acquisition of PointsBet's US business, launching the Fanatics-branded app on April 5, 2024. There is no workaround required and no gray area — it is a fully licensed, regulated operator here.

Is Fanatics legit in Illinois, or is it just PointsBet renamed?

It is a real, separately operated sportsbook, not PointsBet quietly wearing a new logo. Fanatics Betting and Gaming closed its purchase of PointsBet's entire US sportsbook, iGaming, and advance-deposit wagering business on April 3, 2024, and Illinois — the final state in that conversion — went live two days later. Existing PointsBet customers migrated automatically, keeping their balances and rewards.

Why does a Fanatics bet in Illinois cost extra now?

Illinois started charging operators a per-wager fee on July 1, 2025 — 25 cents on each of an operator's first 20 million annual bets, 50 cents beyond that. Fanatics, like several rivals, began passing its 25-cent share on to bettors as a line-item surcharge rather than absorbing it. The company has said it will remove the fee if Illinois repeals the underlying law; a repeal bill from Rep. Daniel Didech, HB 5143, remained stalled in committee heading into 2026.

Is Fanatics safe to use in Illinois?

Yes. It runs under active Illinois Gaming Board oversight, with the same geolocation enforcement, mandatory responsible-gaming tools, and complaint channel through the IGB that every other licensed Illinois operator follows. The PointsBet-to-Fanatics transition didn't lower that bar — the IGB treats the inherited license the same as one built from scratch.

Does Fanatics have an online casino in Illinois?

No, and that has nothing to do with Fanatics specifically — Illinois has never authorized online casino gaming for any operator. Fanatics Casino exists in only four states (Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia), and Illinois isn't one of them.

When did Fanatics Sportsbook launch in Illinois?

April 5, 2024, with a $50 wager on the Detroit Tigers reportedly the app's first bet in the state. Fanatics itself counted Illinois as its 19th market; at least one trade outlet called it the 20th and final state in the PointsBet rollout. Either count puts Illinois at the tail end of that two-year conversion, not the start.

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