Illinois has added gambling disorder to its Substance Use Disorder Act, placing it on the same statutory footing as alcohol and drug use disorders. The change took effect immediately.
PlayUSA reported that Senate Bill 2749, sponsored by Sen. Julie Morrison, updates the law to give the Illinois Department of Human Services’ behavioral health division clearer authority to serve compulsive gamblers and affected families. Morrison said the aim was to formally recognize gambling as “another addiction disorder” and make sure people can access help through state systems.
The update is meant to widen treatment, prevention and support services for gambling disorder. It also calls for more counselor training and broader prevention work, including early awareness, responsible gambling training and intervention programs in high schools and colleges.
Before the new law, Illinois could fund inpatient help for gambling-related cases only when the person also had a substance-use disorder requiring inpatient treatment. With the change, the state can offer treatment for compulsive gambling on its own.
The measure passed with broad bipartisan support, including a unanimous Senate vote and just 11 Republican no votes in the House. SB 2749 was filed on 17 February on the Illinois General Assembly website.
The law itself did not add new treatment funding. Illinois had separately set aside $15 million in the fiscal 2026 budget for compulsive gambling treatment and prevention, $5 million more than the previous year, but people familiar with the bill said it does not make gambling addiction treatment eligible for Medicaid payments.
Illinois estimates that more than 1 million residents, more than one in 10 adults, have a gambling addiction or are at risk of developing one. A Capitol News Illinois and Illinois Answers Project investigation found residents lost more than $7.7 billion gambling last year.
Ryan Aten said gambling lacks the treatment infrastructure seen in substance-use care. “SUD has treatment facilities. There are no gambling facilities in the same way,” he said, calling the law “a big step” because it brings more public attention to a problem that has become normalized. The National Council on Problem Gambling estimates that one in five compulsive gamblers have tried to take their own life.
