Illinois College Athletes Can Now Profit Off Of NIL, But Sports Gambling Endorsements Are Prohibited

Illinois Governor This week, JB Pritzker signed a law allowing college athletes to profit from their reputation, image, and likeness( NIL ).

The decision was made shortly after the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the NCAA could no longer prevent institutions from allowing their athletes to do so.

Illinois is among nearly twenty-four states that have implemented this kind of policy. Nonetheless, the legislation prohibits student-athletes from endorsing gambling or sports betting deals.

Considering Illinois’ complicated relationship with in-state college sports betting, this element is not surprising. Furthermore, although this is uncharted territory for the US, it aligns with the actions of other states.

Furthermore, athletes are prohibited by law from signing endorsement deals for adult entertainment, performance-enhancing supplements, cannabis, tobacco, alcohol, or e-cigarettes.

Pritzker commented on the new rules, saying:

According to the statement, the benefits of this law are not limited to children who aspire to join NFL or NBA. It affirms that any student athlete can partner with local businesses as well as large and small-scale companies to financially benefit from their hard work.

Thanks to this, students will have the capability to indicate support agreements and get compensated for instructing lessons in their preferred sport. Moreover, it could potentially allow them to leverage their NIL to fundraise for charitable organizations.

Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman, a renowned adversary of in-state college sports betting (shown above), backs the law.

“This is one of those days when we can begin to usher in a new era of college sports. Ever since the introduction of athletic scholarships in the early 1950s, the legislation concerning name, image, and likeness has undeniably been the most significant and dramatic change to the collegiate model.”

State-by-state school betting is also prohibited in Illinois.

When the college football season begins, people in Illinois will still not be able to place bets on their home college team.

However, this could shift in October. The Illinois House has already approved a bill requiring in-person betting on Illinois colleges. Although it’s an unsatisfactory solution for many, it represents a gradual policy advancement.

Several weeks prior, the state Senate failed to assess the bill in time for a vote. Nonetheless, this issue must be tackled during the filibuster session when the government reconvenes in October.

Maybe there is reason for optimism in the Senate’s ability to eliminate the in-person requirement from the bill.

Regardless of the situation, the ban is expected to be lifted in October. This would then allow Illinois residents to bet on both the total basketball time and the final two months of the college football season.

But exactly how? That apostrophe is suspended in the air.

As mentioned earlier, Whitman is the most prominent adversary of legal in-state college betting. In an April House Executive Committee hearing, he voiced his opinion on the subject as follows:

“Often, their self-perception or image is heavily influenced by their comments about strangers on social media. This is a common struggle in today’s college sports. By allowing people in our state to bet on our student athletes, we are merely inviting them to partake in intense, threatening, and abusive interactions with them.”

Athletes will not be allowed to sign endorsement deals with bookmakers. However, did the potential for athletes to profit from their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) sway some Illinois legislators to treat them more favorably than amateurs?

As you can see, we’re going to be dealing with hot topics in the coming month, specifically school athletics and college sports betting.