Story Reported By DePaul University’s Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence

Online sports gambling is an increasingly lucrative industry, and the state of Illinois is cashing in, but the cost to play is quietly increasing.

With a vote in the General Assembly just hours before the end of the spring legislative session in May, Illinois became the first state in the country to impose a per-wager fee, which the DePaul Center for Journalism Integrity & Excellence (CJIE) found is already raking in millions of dollars for the state.

Even with those increased revenues, economists and bettors say the tax is tackling the wrong players in the booming industry.

In June, Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 2755, creating the nation’s first online per-wager sports betting tax. According to the

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