Neither the University of Illinois nor Northwestern University appears bound for a college football bowl game this season, but if either team beats the odds and makes it to the postseason, gamblers in Illinois for the first time could be able to place legal bets on the outcome.

Under a measure state lawmakers approved in the closing hours of their fall session Thursday, bettors would be allowed to place wagers in person at state-licensed sportsbooks on the outcome of games played by in-state college teams — but not on individual athlete performance or in-game action. While betting on college games is legal in Illinois, the law has prohibited wagers on in-state teams.

The legislation needs Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature to go into effect. Pritzker so far has not voiced an opinion.

State Rep. Mike Zalewski, the Riverside Democrat who pushed to allow limited betting on in-state college teams, said the goal is to keep those bets — and the tax revenue that comes with them — in Illinois.

“We don’t allow betting on in-state teams, while you can go to Indiana and Iowa, bet on an Illinois or Northwestern game,” Zalewski said. “It just didn’t make any sense.”

Athletic directors at the state’s Division I schools opposed the measure when lawmakers were debating it this spring, citing concerns about players’ mental health and safety.

The package approved by lawmakers with broad bipartisan support also would allow Wintrust Arena, the home court of the Chicago Sky and the DePaul Blue Demons, to apply for a sportsbook license, putting the WNBA champions on equal footing with the home stadiums of men’s professional teams in the city.

The measure also sets a March 5 deadline for the Illinois Gaming Board to allow sports betters to register online rather than having to sign up in person at a casino or racetrack sportsbook — which figures to be welcome news for fans of the NCAA basketball tournaments. Under the current law, the in-person registration requirement would be lifted when the board issues the first of three online-only sportsbook licenses created in the 2019 law — none have so far been issued.

Illinois legalized sports betting in 2019 as part of a massive gambling expansion, including licenses for new casinos in Chicago and five other locations and authorization for slot machines and table games at horse racetracks. The package was designed to raise revenue for Pritzker’s $45 billion “Rebuild Illinois” capital construction program.

Sports betting went live in March 2020, just as the sports world and Illinois casinos were about to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, the state has proved to be a robust sports betting market, generating $380 million in post-payout revenue in the first full year and $57 million for the state coffers in the budget year that ended June 30.

Zalewski said that while he had a “philosophical difference” with athletic directors about allowing betting on in-state teams, lawmakers tried to strike a balance and address some of their concerns.

The provision allowing in-state wagers will be repealed automatically after July 1, 2023, unless lawmakers approve an extension. That should allow time to see whether any of the concerns raised by universities are realized, Zalewski said.

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“If we find out that it’s in fact a negative impact on collegiate sports, we just don’t renew the sunset,” he said.

U. of I. athletic director Josh Whitman, who was among the most vocal opponents of the measure, declined to comment on its passage through a spokesman.

Testifying on behalf of the 13 Division I athletic directors at a committee hearing in April, Whitman said the reasons the prohibition was included in the original law “two years later, if anything, have only intensified.”

“We have a unique situation here where our student-athletes are more susceptible to undue influence than would be, say, professional athletes,” Whitman said. “They’re living amongst the people who are betting on them, which is strange, to know that somebody who lives in the dorm room right next door might be betting on them.”

Allowing betting on games also creates an even greater risk of exposing college athletes to “vile,” “abusive” and “threatening” comments on social media, he said.

“If you insert the possibility that someone may have lost $100 or $500 or $1,000 on a bet, that narrative is only going to intensify,” Whitman said.

The ownership of the Sky has been pushing for the team to be placed on equal footing with men’s professional teams for some time.

Principal owner Michael Alter had been working behind the scenes to enlist Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s help in pushing the issue in Springfield. Alter this month agreed to pay a $5,000 fine after the city ethics board found he engaged in unregistered lobbying activity at City Hall.

The Sky did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment on the passage of legislation creating a sports wagering license for Wintrust.

The measure also deals with several other issues related to gambling and horse racing, including prohibiting towns from levying a “push tax” on video gambling terminals unless they already have one in place by Monday. It also would allow video gambling at veterans and fraternal organizations in towns outside of Cook County that have banned the machines.