- Resorts World Bet will exit New York’s crowded online sports betting space, opening a valuable license opportunity.
- FanDuel responds to Illinois’ steep tax increase by imposing a 50-cent fee per bet.
- Louisiana’s legislature advances a bill to hike the online sportsbook tax rate to 21.5%,
NEW YORK – June’s second week in sports betting sees significant developments in three key U.S. markets. These stories underscore how taxation and market pressures continue to reshape the legal sports betting landscape nationwide.
Resorts World Bet Pulling Out of New York
Resorts World Bet will officially exit New York’s online sports betting scene by June 30, ending a short run in the nation’s highest-grossing market.
Customers must withdraw funds by June 22, and wagers will stop being accepted on June 16. Despite operating since March 2022, Resorts World Bet struggled to compete, ranking last in handle and revenue among New York’s nine licensees. Its $263.3 million total handle and $17.6 million in lifetime revenue lag far behind leaders like FanDuel and DraftKings, which produced $192 million in revenue in May alone.
Resorts World’s exit leaves a New York sports betting license up for grabs, with Bet365, Hard Rock Bet, and Underdog seen as likely candidates.
FanDuel to Charge Illinois Users 50-Cent Per-Bet Fee
FanDuel announced it will begin charging Illinois customers a 50-cent fee per wager on Sept. 1, citing recent state tax changes that significantly increase operator costs.
Flutter CEO Peter Jackson criticized the new tiered tax structure (which could raise the effective rate to 60%) and said FanDuel could no longer absorb the burden without passing it on to users.
The Illinois sports betting law includes its own per-bet operator fee: $0.25 for the first 20 million bets annually, and $0.50 thereafter. FanDuel’s surcharge matches the latter tier.
FanDuel pledged to remove the surcharge if the tax is repealed, though DraftKings previously floated a similar plan but abandoned it due to backlash in 2024.
Louisiana Senate Approves Sports Betting Tax Hike to 21.5%
The State Senate approved a bill that raises the Louisiana sports betting tax rate from 15% to 21.5% for online sportsbooks, aligning it with rates in other states with legal sports betting, like Maryland and Illinois.
The proposal, HB 639, now awaits Governor John Bel Edwards’ signature to become law, though retail sportsbooks will continue paying a 10% rate.
One-quarter of the new online tax revenue will support Louisiana college sports programs, covering expenses like scholarships and facility upgrades, but specifically not NIL payments or direct athlete compensation.
Originally proposed at 32%, the rate was lowered during negotiations. The increase reflects a broader national trend in 2025 of states reevaluating sportsbook tax structures to maximize revenue. Louisiana is now the third state this year to raise its online sports betting tax.
