Illinois Enacts Ban on Gambling Advertisements Across Colleges

Published: Tue Aug 05 2025

Key Points

IGB looks to limit advertising exposure to youth, especially minors
Shift from restrictions on misleading information to a full-out ban
New measures build on the new Illinois tax on sportsbooks

The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) continued to implement regulatory changes, with the latest move being the ban on gambling advertisements at the 249 colleges and universities within the state. The new measures aim to protect the youth from developing problem gambling habits.

Illinois is prioritizing player safety with new measures

In an August 4th press release, IGB Administrator Marcus D. Fruchter stated, “By adopting these measures, the IGB is building upon existing regulations to implement additional safeguards and standards that further protect the public and encourage responsible gambling habits.”

The goal is to prevent vulnerable youth from being overly exposed to gambling advertisements. Before these new measures were enacted, IGB rules had more liberal restrictions on advertising and promotional content from operators, prohibiting any misleading claims, including terms like “risk-free bet” when referring to a welcome bonus.

However, the new rules take that to the next level by not allowing such ads to even be seen by youth at college campuses, especially those who are underage.

Full breakdown of new Illinois rules on gambling ads

Here is a list of key changes with gambling ad rules in Illinois:

Ads and promotions can’t be published, aired, broadcast, displayed, or distributed on college or university campuses. This includes campus newspapers as well as radio or television broadcasts.
Students and campuses cannot be depicted as characters or settings within ads.
The IGB must receive copies of all marketing materials, featuring a description of when and how they were disseminated to the public.
Users must be able to opt out of advertising.
Ads must provide clear information on problem gambling text, which is provided by the Illinois Department of Human Services.
Agreements with third parties that benefit the operator based on volume or result of wagers are not allowed.

New measures follow up on Illinois taxes on sportsbooks

The latest ban on gambling ads at college campuses is another measure taken by the state to emphasize more regulation on sports betting. This comes after Illinois implemented a tax on sportsbooks back in June. Operators are taxed 25 cents per wager for the first 20 million bets in a fiscal year and 50 cents per bet after that.

These changes in advertising are equally applied to online casinos.