Circa and ESPN Bet Add Minimum Bet Requirements in Illinois

The fight against Illinois’ recently implemented “per-bet” tax took another turn over the last week.

ESPN Bet and Circa Sports have announced new minimum bet requirements for wagers accepted in the state. Both operators confirmed that their changes are in response to the state’s controversial new tax. There are now five Illinois sportsbooks that have implemented new minimums.

ESPN Bet set their minimum low at $1, matching BetRivers Sportsbook and slightly lower than Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook ($2) and BetMGM Sportsbook ($2.50). While these minimums remain low, many bettors place longshot wagers while risking less than $1. Operators say the new tax will lead them to lose money when processing smaller bets, leading to the minimums being raised. 

Circa set its minimum far higher at $10. This is a massive change, but fits with Circa’s focus on high-stakes wagering. 

DraftKings Sportsbook, Fanatics, and FanDuel Sportsbook have also taken action against the tax, but instead chose to add a surcharge on each wager accepted. This directly passes the new tax along to bettors, allowing the sportsbooks to offset the revenue lost by it.

Caesars and bet365 Yet to Take Action

With the announcements from ESPN Bet and Circa, eight of the ten online sportsbooks in Illinois have made changes to offset the new “per-bet” tax. That leaves Caesars Sportsbook and bet365 as the only two operators not passing the new tax onto customers. 

While both sportsbooks could very well add new fees or minimums of their own, their delay will give us significant insight into the impact of the “per-bet” tax. It will show us how many customers from the other eight sportsbooks will seek out cheaper betting options. 

If Caesars and bet365 sportsbook see their market share rise, it would be a massive win for the state. Other rivals would need to react to stop losing customers, forcing them to drop fees or minimums in order to compete.

However, if the sportsbooks see their revenue drop, it would likely lead them to make changes. It would also give the other sportsbooks the confidence needed to increase their fees and minimums until the state relents and eliminates the “per-bet” tax.