DraftKings to close in-person sportsbook operation at Wrigley Field
DraftKings announced Monday that it is closing its sportsbook operation at Wrigley Field after only about two years.
The Boston-based sports gambling company said it had decided to discontinue sportsbook operations at DraftKings Sportsbook, at the northwest corner of Addison Street and Sheffield Avenue adjacent to the historic ballpark, following a review of its retail presence in Illinois.
DraftKings Sportsbook will remain open as a restaurant, bar, and sports entertainment venue, but will no longer offer in-person sports betting.
"While we are proud of what we have built alongside the Chicago Cubs, we are taking a more focused approach to where we invest in the state," DraftKings said. "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 serving our mobile sportsbook customers."
Sportsbook operators pay between 20% and 40% in state taxes. Since July of last year, Illinois sportsbooks have also paid $0.25 on the first 20 million online bets statewide annually, and then $0.50 on every bet after that.
DraftKings and rival FanDuel instituted a 50 cent fee on every wager placed in Illinois as a result.
Sports gambling companies also fought to late last year to block new taxes and licensing requirements on the Chicago city level. The companies dropped an effort to block the laws immediately, but went ahead with a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the city's sports betting tax and licensing requirements.
The 2026 budget plan approved by the City Council last December imposed a 10.25% tax on the adjusted gross receipts from all sports bets placed within the city.
The DraftKings Sportsbook space opened in June 2023. The sports betting operation within opened in March 2024.
The same corner of the ballpark land was once home to the smaller Captain Morgan Club — which opened in 2009 and was torn down in 2018.