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Gaming Edge’s TL;DR
- FanDuel has temporarily suspended its 50¢ per-bet surcharge in Illinois through June 19.
- This pause comes amid ongoing legislative efforts to repeal the state’s per-wager tax and could meaningfully change pricing for bettors during a key sports stretch.
FanDuel told customers it will stop charging the 50-cent surcharge on bets placed in Illinois through June 19, a date that lines up with the potential end of the NBA Finals.
The fee was introduced in September 2025 after Illinois enacted a per-wager tax requiring operators to pay $0.25 per bet for the first 20 million wagers each year, rising to $0.50 per bet once that threshold is exceeded, a trigger FanDuel reached in under six months.
The company notified users via email and social media but has not publicly detailed the rationale for this temporary removal.
Other licensed operators in Illinois have not mirrored FanDuel’s move. Some have instead raised minimum bet requirements to manage the tax burden. The suspension also arrives as lawmakers consider House Bill 5143, authored by Rep. Daniel Didech, which would repeal the per-wager tax if passed.
DraftKings dropped fee on $10+ parlays and saw revenue jump
Removing the surcharge lowers the marginal cost of smaller and multi-leg wagers, particularly same-game parlays, which are a major revenue driver. FanDuel’s parlay volume fell 19.4% to 53.3 million wagers and parlay handle slipped 9.1% to $1.04 billion after the surcharge was applied. Meanwhile its parlay hold rose to 20.6% and average parlay wager increased from $17.27 to $19.48.
Competitor DraftKings avoided applying the fee to parlays of $10 or more and saw parlay handle rise 20.5% to $1.05 billion and parlay revenue jump 33% year-over-year, illustrating how pricing changes shift market share.
Financially, FanDuel has contributed roughly $32.8 million via the per-wager surcharge between July and January, and top operators have paid more than $50 million in per-wager taxes in Illinois combined.
With effective tax rates – including state and local levies like Chicago’s 10.25% – reaching the mid-40s, operators continue to experiment with fees, minimums, and betting limits to protect margins.
Based on reporting by Johhny K. for World Casino Directory.
