The Illinois Gaming Board is changing its policies regarding sportsbook payments.
The gaming regulator announced that it has adopted a proposed rule to ban credit cards to fund gaming accounts for online sports wagering. The IGB has implemented changes to its practices to protect players and promote responsible gaming.
The regulator adopted the new rule following a review of sports wagering practices and rules as Illinois reached the five-year mark as a regulated online sports betting market.
“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 IGB Administrator Marcus D. Fruchter. “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.”
The proposed rule adds to existing standards in Illinois regarding credit cards and gaming. The IGB currently bans the use of credit cards to fund casino and video gaming wagers.
The ban on credit cards faces one more hurdle to be officially implemented by the IGB.
The rule has been sent to the General Assembly’s Joint Committee On Administrative Rules. The committee will allow for public comment on the issue before its final approval.
In addition to a ban on credit cards to fund sports betting, the IGB also adopted a rule to allow cashless wagering at all 17 casinos across the state. The rule allows patrons to use digital casino accounts or wallets to fund wagers, cash out or withdraw electronic credits.
The ban on credit cards to fund gaming also applies to the adopted cashless wagering rule.
The IGB also adopted a new requirement for video gaming sales agents. The proposed rule imposes “certain record-keeping requirements” for both sales agents and brokers.
The adopted rules have also been sent to the joint committee for final approval.
Illinois could join a group of US gaming markets
If the credit card rule is approved, Illinois will join the six U.S. gaming markets that ban the use of credit cards. The states include Iowa, Massachusetts and Tennessee.
Iowa prohibited the use of credit cards in 2020 following a previous ban on credit cards being used to purchase lottery tickets in the state. Both Massachusetts and Tennessee banned the use of credit cards to fund sports betting from the onset of regulated wagering.
Last year, Pennsylvania Sen. Wayne Fontana introduced a measure to ban operators in the state from accepting credit cards as a form of payment for sports betting, iGaming, daily fantasy sports and iLottery. The bill, Senate Bill 1159, was proposed by Fontana to foster RG and not allow online gaming to be “another scenario to accumulate more debt.”
SB 1159 was referred to the Senate’s Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee where it failed to progress despite bipartisan support.
