DraftKings to Cease Sports Betting at Wrigley Field Sportsbook

• DraftKings announced it will cease retail sports betting at its Wrigley Field sportsbook
• The DraftKings facility will remain, but will no longer offer sports betting
• May 31, 2026, will be the last day to place bets at the facility

Beginning in June, DraftKings will no longer offer Illinois sports betting at Wrigley Field.

The sports betting company recently announced the sportsbook closure, reporting the last day to play in-person bets will be Sunday, May 31. In-person cashing of winning tickets will be accepted through Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

The 2,000-square-foot DraftKings facility opened at historic Wrigley Field in April 2024.

DraftKings Points to Illinois Tax Structure

The two-year old facility will remain at the historic baseball field, but it will no longer offer sports betting on its premises. The facility also currently offers a restaurant and bar services at the Friendly Confines, both of which will continue.

A DraftKings spokesperson noted the decision came after a review of the company’s retail presence in Illinois. The high tax-structure in Illinois factored into the decision to close the retail sportsbook facility at the world-famous baseball stadium.

“DraftKings has made the decision to discontinue onsite sportsbook operations at Wrigley Field following a review of our retail presence in Illinois. The venue itself will remain open, but in-person sports betting will no longer be offered at the location. While we are proud of what we built alongside the Chicago Cubs, we are taking a more focused approach to where we invest in the state. The cost of operating in Illinois, including its high tax structure, makes it more difficult to justify continued investment in a standalone retail sportsbook. We remain committed to service our mobile sportsbook customers,” the DraftKings spokesperson said.

Illinois has one of the highest sports betting tax rates and sports betting fee rates in the country.

Several New Illinois Sports Betting Taxes, Fees

Over the last two years, Illinois has made several significant changes to to the state’s sports betting industry.

Gov. JB Pritzker (D) approved a budget in June 2025 that included a new per-bet fee for all licensed online sports betting operators. The per-bet fee went into effect on July 1, 2025, and resulted in more than $5.2 million in revenue during its first month of operation.

Companies are required to pay a $0.25 charge on the first 20,000,000 online sports bets taken in the state each year. The fee increases to $0.50 per bet for every single bet taken after the initial 20,000,000 bets.

In 2024, Pritzker signed a budget into law on June 1, 2024, which included a new progressive tax rate for licensed state sportsbooks. The state budget included the first-ever progressive tax rate for sports betting operators in the country, which will see sportsbooks pay a rate of 20% to 40% based on adjusted gross revenues.

Based on the structure, operators pay taxes based on the following adjusted gross sports betting revenue totals:

• $0 to $30 million: 20%
• $30 million to $50 million: 25%
• $50 million to $100 million: 30%
• $100 million to $200 million: 35%
• Over $200 million: 40%