The Illinois Gaming Board adopted new rules at its April 24 meeting, including a prohibition on using credit cards to fund sports betting accounts.
The change is a small win for problem gambling advocates.
Illinois becomes the seventh state in the US to ban credit cards as part of a regulated sports betting market. Forty states have sanctioned sports gambling.
“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,” Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter said in an IGB press release.
“There is a growing body of recent research showing that restrictions on credit usage to fund wagering accounts […] 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.”
In 2020, the United Kingdom banned the use of credit cards to gamble, citing a study showing that 22% of online gamblers using credit cards were addicted gamblers.
Existing IGB rules ban credit card use for casino and video gaming wagers.
Credit Cards Under Scrutiny
When legal sports wagering began in Illinois in 2020, sports betting was sanctioned in 13 other states. None prohibited using credit cards for depositing into apps such as DraftKings, FanDuel and Bet365.
Since then, more states have legalized sports gambling, with some prohibiting credit cards.
The other states with bans on credit cards for sports betting include Iowa, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Hampshire.
This list should grow in the coming months and years.
In 2025, New York is home to legislation that would ban credit card use.
According to a report from Campaign for Accountability, the betting industry has so far been able to stifle proposed credit card bans in Maine, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Notably, a problem gambling “taskforce” in New Jersey recently issued a report of policy recommendations that didn’t include a ban on credit cards for sports gambling.
At the federal level, the proposed SAFE Bet Act would establish a nationwide regulatory structure that bans using credit cards for sports gambling.
As sports betting addiction rates climb in the US, there has been some progress in enacting safeguards to help millions of vulnerable users. Banning credit cards for sports gambling is relatively low-hanging fruit and should gain more momentum.
A 2024 paper from the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) suggested that credit cards be banned for online casino gambling.
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