- The Illinois Gaming Board adopted new rules to prohibit credit cards
- Six states currently prohibit the use of credit cards to fund sports betting
- The ban needs to be approved by the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules
After five years of legalized Illinois sports betting, it’s time for some changes.
The Illinois Gaming Board is setting its sights on a credit card ban to disallow customers to fund sports betting accounts. The Illinois Gaming Board last week approved the measure, which now heads to the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) for public comment.
When Illinois legalized sports betting in 2025, only 13 other states offered legal sports betting and none featured a prohibition on credit cards.
Justified Prohibition on Credit Cards?
The Illinois Gaming Board currently has a prohibition on credit cards for casino and video gaming bets. As it stands, six other states – Massachusetts, Iowa, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New Hampshire – currently have a ban on credit cards for sports betting.
“As part of our review, we determined that prohibiting the use of credit cards to fund sports wagering accounts is a justified and impactful advancement in Illinois sports wagering,” said Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus D. Fruchter in a press release. “There is a growing body of recent research showing that restrictions on credit usage to fund wagering accounts encourages responsible gambling and mitigates the harms of compulsive gambling. Problem gamblers are particularly at risk and studies have shown an often-problematic willingness for compulsive gamblers to use credit cards to place bets.”
The new prohibition will now be sent to the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules for the public to comment. After public comment, the approval process will commence.
Additionally, the gaming board adopted a new rule that will permit cashless wagering in all 17 state casinos, allowing customers to use a digital casino account or wallet to bet, withdraw electronic credits, fund wages, and cashout remaining credits. This would not include the use of credit cards.
NCLGS Recommends Credit Card Ban
The Illinois Gaming Board is following the recommendation of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS), which proposed a complete credit card funding ban for any state with legalized sports betting.
The NCLGS proposed its “Model Internet Gaming Act” in November 2024, which suggests licensed operators permit customers to make deposits through online and mobile payment systems that support online money transfers, debit cards, digital wallets such as PayPal, Venmo, and other similar services, bank wires, cash, and prepaid cards.
However, the NCLGS does not recommend the use of credit cards for sports betting in any form.
Illinois lawmakers are currently considering a bill that would ban the use of credit cards as a payment method for sports betting in the state. The proposed legislation aims to address concerns about problem gambling and the potential for individuals to accumulate large amounts of debt through online sports betting.
If the bill is passed, Illinois would join a growing number of states that have implemented restrictions on the use of credit cards for online gambling. The rationale behind these restrictions is to protect consumers from falling into financial trouble by using borrowed money to place bets.
Proponents of the bill argue that banning credit card payments for sports betting would help to curb problem gambling and reduce the risk of individuals developing gambling addictions. By requiring bettors to use cash or debit cards, the hope is that they will be more mindful of their spending and less likely to wager money they cannot afford to lose.
Opponents of the bill, however, argue that banning credit card payments could have unintended consequences, such as driving bettors to unregulated or offshore gambling sites where consumer protections are lacking. They also point out that many online sportsbooks already have safeguards in place to help prevent problem gambling, such as setting deposit limits and offering self-exclusion options.
Ultimately, the decision on whether to ban credit card payments for sports betting in Illinois will come down to weighing the potential benefits of reducing problem gambling against the potential drawbacks of driving bettors to unregulated markets. Lawmakers will need to carefully consider these factors before making a final decision on the proposed legislation.
