Illinois regulators are moving to place fantasy sports inside the state’s self-exclusion framework, a step that would bring the activity under the Sports Wagering Act and widen the tools available to people trying to keep themselves away from gambling.
As reported last week, the board had already moved to widen self-exclusion options, including mail, online and treatment-provider sign-up. In the latest vote, the Illinois Gaming Board approved three proposed rule changes unanimously, with members saying the package is meant to curb problem gambling, according to CardPlayer.
One of those changes would add fantasy sports to the program and regulate it under the Sports Wagering Act. The board’s sports-wagering page says that law is codified at 230 ILCS 45, and its self-exclusion page says the statute, signed on 28 June 2019, required the agency to expand the program to cover sports wagering.
The proposal lands against a system that still relies heavily on in-person enrolment. The board says people seeking self-exclusion must sign up at sanctioned sites around the state, a process that takes about 30 to 45 minutes and requires a valid driver’s licence or state-issued ID.
CardPlayer reported that there are 32 in-person sites, half of them casinos, and only five outside Chicago that are not at casinos. Marcus Fruchter, the board’s administrator, said the current system lacks options available in other states, including mail applications, treatment-provider enrollment system and online enrolment, and that shame, embarrassment, stigma and procedural friction keep some people from completing the process.
The broader package would add six-month, one-year and three-year exclusion terms, while keeping the five-year option in place. People could be automatically re-enrolled but opt out at any time, although those trying to leave the five-year or indefinite option would still need an affidavit or a letter from a certified gambling addiction counsellor.
The proposal would also bar gaming companies from marketing to people on the list for at least 12 months. The same reporting noted that Illinois has about 50,000 video gaming terminals, 16,000 people are enrolled in self-exclusion under current rules, and a state-commissioned study put the number of adults with a gambling problem at about 383,000, with another 761,000 at risk.
The proposal comes as September is Responsible Gaming Education Month. A separate report cited by the article said Illinois spent less than 6 cents on addiction treatment for every $100 in 2025 gaming tax revenue.
