Jessica Welman returns to the host's chair for today's episode of iGaming Daily, sponsored by Optimove, and she's joined by her SBC Americas colleague Tom Nightingale for a look into handle, headaches and more after a significant change in Illinois sports betting taxation.

The Prairie State will introduce a flat fee starting at 25 cents and scaling up to 50 cents for high-volume operators like FanDuel and DraftKings. This new tax, projected to generate £36 million annually, is seen as a second instance of Illinois targeting sportsbooks for budget shortfalls. But who does this impact the most? How will the operators respond? And what are the broader implications for a move like this?

Jess and Tom discuss the nature of the new tax, its structure and targets, the implementation, its impact on state revenue, who is likely to be hit worse, operator strategies and responses, lobbying efforts, and add some historical context on contentious regulatory decisions in Illinois.

Host: Jessica Welman
Guests: Tom Nightingale
Producer: Anaya McDonald
Editor: James Ross

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