Illini head to the Final Four – but you can’t legally bet on them in Illinois

While almost all sports betting is now legal and easy in Illinois, wagering on home-state Illini basketball to win the NCAA Final Four is illegal. And that is no doubt surprising and frustrating a lot of Illinois basketball fans as they go to their favorite online betting site, only to find that they can’t bet on their own team here.

U of I may be a winner on the court this season, but they are losing on the wagering front in Illinois.

On the popular gambling site Draft Kings, there is a harsh reality for Illini fans: the school doesn’t exist as a betting option in the Final Four. U of I’s Saturday game against Connecticut is missing and off limits under an Illinois law that prohibits gambling on all in-state NCAA universities.

Right now, there are only three choices to bet on for the National Championship, and Illinois is M-I-A.

When sports betting was made legal in 2020, the Illinois General Assembly in Springfield passed a specific cut-out for in-state teams: all NCAA schools – any game, championship or not – is banned for you to bet on. And in the last six years, sports betting here has generated more than $59 million, and is increasing each year.

“We have definitely seen an increase in people coming in to treatment,” said Anita Pindiur, executive director of the Illinois Council on Problem Gambling. “We have seen about a 30 to 35% increase in young adult males, 18 to 35,” Pindiur said.

For U of I this is a total ban that even includes the trendy “prop” bets, where you concoct your own proposition wager on anything. For instance, betting that the long-banned Chief Illiniwek will make a return at the Final Four. Prop bets involving anything Illini are no-go.

But apparently, those customary friendly bets between state governors are exempt from the Illinois ban. Gov. JB Pritzker – who said he was recently lucky to win 1.4 million dollars in a Vegas blackjack game – on Monday said he has some kind of interstate sports bet brewing with Connecticut’s Democratic Gov. Ned LaMont.

“I already got a call from the governor of Connecticut, because we’re playing against the University of Connecticut on Saturday. And he wants to make a bet…a public…so you’ll be hearing about that,” Gov. Pritzker said.

Gov. Lamont’s spokesman told NBC Chicago the wager details are now being finalized, and Pritzker’s office told us there would be an announcement with details on Tuesday.

Illinois is now the nation’s second-biggest legal sports betting market and is not alone with this regulation. Several other states have similar local school laws. 

We asked U of I officials about the ban on local college bets here. A university spokesperson told us: they aren’t involved in any efforts to change the law or those restrictions. There is one legal workaround: drive to Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin or Michigan and go to a casino sportsbook there to place a bet on the Illini.  

For anyone who needs help due to gambling abuse, the Illinois Council on Problem Gambling hotline is 1-800-GAMBLER and it is staffed 24/7 with experts who speak numerous languages. There are also problem gambling resources available at the Illinois helpline: Areyoureallywinning.com