Illinois Online Gambling

We consider the options below to be the best online gambling sites at the moment in Illinois:

Other IL gambling sites to consider

Apart from the operators discussed above, there are three more online gambling sites available in Illinois:

FanDuel Illinois

FanDuel is a strong presence in the online sports betting industry. They offer all types of wagers for every US and global sport. FanDuel started as a Daily Fantasy Sports site and turned into gambling operator that offers both a sportsbook and a casino.

FanDuel usually offers good betting promos in Illinois to attract new players, such as free betting credits and welcome bonuses. You can download the app, which is very simple to use even without any previous experience. FanDuel has made a partnership in Illinois as well, with Par-A-Dice Casino in East Peoria.

Barstool Illinois

Launched in March 2021, Barstool Illinois holds an IGB license and is partnered with three separate land-based casinos — Argosy Casino Alton and the Hollywood Casinos in both Aurora and Joliet.

For those looking to play at Barstool Illinois, there are a lot of exciting features and functions for advanced gamblers, including the "Quick Pick 6" bet builder. The sportsbook has more than 20 different sports, both domestic and international. Barstool Illinois has simple navigation on both the desktop and app, and has various bonuses available too.

BetMGM Illinois

BetMGM went live on March 7, 2022, in Illinois. BetMGM Illinois offers players the option to play via desktop and mobile with an app for both Android and iOS. The operator is partnered with Par-A-Dice Hotel and Casino, enabling players to place bets in person.

BetMGM Illinois is fully licensed and registered by the Illinois Gaming Board. The site is packed with different sports from the US and abroad. You can bet on any Illinois sports team using BetMGM, but wagering on instate Illinois college teams is only available pregame at the Par-A-Dice Hotel and Casino.

Circa Sports Illinois

Circa Sports launched its gambling site in Illinois in September 2023 after more than a year of waiting since the start of the application process. It is the eighth website to enter the IL market, joining Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, and PointsBet.

Missing the start of the 2023 NFL season could hurt the early handle numbers, but Circa should still be in good shape by launching before the start of the 2023-24 NHL and NBA seasons. Circa's high-limit platform should also help to narrow the gap on competition.

Fanatics Illinois (Coming soon)

Fanatics is continuing its takeover attempt of all things surrounding sports by expanding into the online gambling space. After taking over PointsBet’s U.S. gambling operations, Fanatics will be converting online gambling platforms at a rate of three states per month from August 2023 to May 2024.

Illinois bettors will be able to earn “FanCash” with every bet, allowing users to earn credits toward bonus bets as a percentage of each real-money wager.

ESPN Bet Illinois (Coming soon)

ESPN Bet hasn’t yet launched in Illinois, but it will act as the new branding for PENN Entertainment’s online gambling platform.

PENN actively holds an Illinois betting operator’s license and launched Barstool Sportsbook, though they abandoned the Barstool brand and sold the company back to founder Dave Portnoy in August 2023 before announcing the ESPN partnership.

Because Barstool had a retail location at the Hollywood Casino Aurora, ESPN Bet will likely carry over the in-person location following the conversion.

Bally Bet Illinois (Coming soon)

Bally Bet paused all activity on its gambling website in late June 2023 and is actively undergoing a platform change to Kambi. While no new launch date has been announced, the new rollout will likely take several months, and it could be 2024 before the new gambling site is ready.

The shutdown came before Bally Bet had its initial IL launch, but the operator has been deemed “preliminarily suitable” by the Illinois Gaming Board and could start things up right away following the changeover.

Betway Illinois (Coming soon)

Betway is on track to become the first online-only gambling operator in Illinois after being awarded a license from the Illinois Gaming Board in July 2023. The Betway gambling site will provide players with a fresh option to explore.

So far, Betway’s gambling website is live and licensed in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Unibet Illinois (Coming soon)

An all-in-one gambling operator, Unibet offers a variety of online gambling services. Unibet has already obtained a license to launch its gambling site in Illinois and is eyeing a late 2023 opening.

When the site goes live, Unibet will likely offer a $500 second chance bet to its players. The layout will be rather simplistic but very intuitive, with players of all experience levels finding the gambling website to be navigable and comfortable.

Is online gambling legal in Illinois?

Online gambling is legal in Illinois, but only some forms of it. Online sports betting is legal, but online casinos are not. It is also legal to bet on horse races, play the lottery and participate in Daily Fantasy Sports contests.

The bill that legalized online betting sites in Illinois included a section for online casinos too. But until today, they are not legal.

Overview of legal gambling in Illinois

Illinois online gambling laws explained

So, it might be strange that online sports betting is legal, but online casinos are not. How does the state explain the halfway legitimization of online gambling?

At first, only horse racing was legal, much because it became very popular in the 1920s. Up to recently, all the other forms of gambling were illegal. After the legalization of physical casinos and sportsbooks, it was high time to legalize them in their online form as well.

As aforementioned, in 2019, online sportsbooks finally became legal. The Illinois Gaming Board was responsible for presenting to the State House the bill, the 2019 Illinois Gambling Act — SB 690.

Below we explain how the online gambling laws of Illinois work at this moment:

Online lottery & horse race gambling in Illinois

Besides sports betting, there are a few other forms of online gambling that are available in Illinois. These include lottery and horse racing.

Lottery

The Illinois State Lottery was founded in 1974, but it started selling tickets for Powerball and Mega Millions only in 2010. It constitutes a part of the state’s $3 billion in the annual lottery. The online lottery provides standard tickets, multi-state, raffles, and instant games.

If you are a resident of Illinois, you can buy your tickets online. However, note that it is illegal to participate in a lottery held in a foreign country. The Illinois lottery is generous in offering promotions to returning customers. The only thing you have to do is to sign up at the Illinois Lottery and start playing.

Horse race betting

Horse race betting has a long tradition in Illinois. It dates back to the 1920s. Today, horse racing takes place in five local racetracks and 37 off-track betting (OTB) venues.

Luckily, you do not have to visit these places in order to place a bet, you can do it online. That way, you will find many options available, not just for races that take place in the state but also for bonuses, different sportsbooks, odds, etc.

There are a few rules when it comes to online betting on horse races. First of all, you can bet only in racebooks that have a license from the Illinois Racing Board. Second, you have to be 18 years old or older to bet on horses. Third, there is a minimum bet of $2. However, it does not apply to all cases, as there are wagers that cost only $1. Finally, the maximum payout you can get is $2,10 for every $2 bet you have placed.

When will Illinois completely legalize online gambling?

There is still unfortunately no news on exactly when online gambling will become fully legal in Illinois, with House Bill 3142 being rejected in 2021 and sports betting already being legalized in 2019. There is a legislative period in IL in 2023, so there is some hope that online gambling will be legalized this year, but it’s not certain to happen.

Some experts believe that it will, like Richard Schwartz, the CEO of the huge gambling company Rush Street Interactive, who claimed that “they already have regulators in place”, implying that IL is already gearing up for legalization.

The American Gaming Association produced a report about illegal online gambling which said that “Americans bet more than $510.9 billion a year with illegal and unregulated operators. This costs the legal industry $44.2 billion in gaming revenue and state governments $13.3 billion in lost tax revenue”.

This massive lost revenue and the growing pressure to pass online gambling in the state should mean that a bill will be presented this year as the legislative session in Illinois resumes. If a bill is passed, then we could expect to see online gambling in Illinois go live as early as 2024.

The future of online gambling in IL

While it is still unclear what will happen in Illinois in the world of online gambling, it is expected that it will become legalized at some point in the future due to the sheer amount of tax revenue that is not being collected by the state.

There are already plenty of gambling sites that are preparing to make their entry into the Illinois market, such as DraftKings, FanDuel, BetRivers, and Barstool, who already have online and physical sportsbooks live in the state.

If legalization takes place, Illinois can expect a huge boost in revenue, as the fiscal year of 2022 brought in record revenues of nearly $1.9 billion in gambling generally. This includes sports betting, lottery, and video gaming, so online gambling becoming legal would surely boost that figure by quite some way.

This year, 2023, brings a new legislative session in Illinois, so there will probably be a new bill seeking to legalize gambling online, and we will know more about what kind of provisions this bill will include if and when it gets proposed. We will have to wait and see.

Online gambling games that could become legal soon in IL

If the new bill of 2022 becomes a reality, new forms of online gambling may soon become available in Illinois. These include different type of online casino games and poker.

Online casino games

Online casino games include slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and live dealer games. All these games are based on luck and do not need any specific skills. Some of them, such as blackjack, require you to learn a few rules, but they are pretty simple. Slots and table casino games are the most exciting ones.

Slots are easy to play because all you do is press a button. You can find many variations of slot games with different visual and sound features that make them interesting. They do not require any skills. Also, you do not have to bet a large amount of money, as the minimum wages are very low.

When it comes to table games, there are thousands of tables available to join. There is no waiting line, nor do you have to buy your seat. They are more fast-paced than regular casinos because all the dealings happen automatically. Moreover, there are hundreds of variations.

If you still want to have human interaction, you can opt for live casino games or live dealer games. That is there is a real dealer that you can see through your camera that deals the cards or chips. You can also talk to the other players. If you do not feel comfortable turning your camera and mic on, though, you can talk to them in the chat room.

Online poker

Online poker is widely considered to be the most difficult one. In order to become an experienced poker player, you must exercise your skills a lot, play lots of games, and try out and learn different strategies. This is the case for online poker or video poker, as it is most commonly known.

You have the option of playing live video poker as well. Moreover, video poker has many variations. However, each variation has different rules, so you have to learn them in order to understand the game and join. Luckily, there are free video poker games available in online casinos, so you can practice for as long as you feel you need to.

The tax rate on online gambling winnings in Illinois

All winnings from online gambling fall under the personal income tax, which sits at 4.95% in Illinois. Moreover, you also have to report your winnings as income to the IRS.

In this case, your gambling tax percentage is calculated based on your total income and if you are filing as an individual or as a married couple. Federal taxes are usually between 10% and 37%. Gambling winnings can put you in a higher tax category.

Reporting winnings to the IRS

If your winnings exceed a certain amount, the gambling operator will provide you with a W-2G form on which you report your winnings to the IRS.

It doesn't matter if the winnings come from sports betting, lotteries, slots, or other casino games in Illinois. It is crucial for you to report your online gambling winnings to the IRS.

Below are some general guidelines regarding when you should report your gambling winnings during a full year to the IRS:

Licensed gambling sites in Illinois VS offshore sites

In order to offer its services to the citizens of Illinois, a gambling operator must get a license from the Illinois Gaming Board. This means that licensed gambling sites are approved by the state of Illinois and can be considered safe.

Offshore gambling sites do not hold licenses from the state of Illinois or any other gambling commission. This means that players are less safe using these sites since they do not need to follow the gambling laws set up by the state.

However, the state law does not consider them illegal when operating in other countries, nor does it mention clearly that the residents of Illinois will be prosecuted if they get caught using one.

In any case, it is not advised to play on offshore sites. It is better to play on licensed sites, and if you want to play in online casinos, have a little patience and visit a physical one until the online ones are available.

Who regulates gambling in Illinois?

The Illinois Gaming Board regulates all forms of gambling in Illinois. It controls the regulatory and tax collection for video games, riverboats, and regular casinos, as well as online sportsbooks.

In 1990, the state became the second one to legitimize riverboat casinos with the Riverboat Gambling Act. The first riverboat casino opened in September 1990. Since 2020, there have been ten operating casinos in Illinois.

In July 2009, The Video Gaming Act was approved. The act permitted up to five Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs) to function in authorized Fraternal and Veteran Companies, Truck Stops, and Retail Establishments. Ten years later, Governor J.B.Pritzker signed the Illinois Gambling Act.

The history of gambling in Illinois

Gambling responsibly in Illinois

Gambling responsibly in Illinois means understanding the risks of gambling, setting limits, and seeking help if needed. It is important to always gamble within your budget and know how much you can afford to lose. Additionally, it is important to set a time limit for your gambling activities and to not gamble when under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

If you think you or someone you know has a gambling problem, the Illinois Gaming Board provides a list of resources to get help. The Illinois Department of Human Services provides a 24-hour confidential helpline (1-800-GAMBLER) and website to help gamblers and their families.

The Illinois Council on Problem Gambling is another resource and offers free online, telephonic, and in-person counseling to individuals and their family members. For those seeking in-person counseling, the Council on Problem Gambling also has a list of certified problem gambling counselors in Illinois.

In addition, Gamblers Anonymous is a 12-step program available to those affected by problem gambling and offers support groups throughout Illinois. Furthermore, the Illinois Alliance on Problem Gambling is a coalition of organizations that works to reduce the prevalence of problem gambling in the state. They provide prevention, education, and treatment programs for gamblers and their families.

Gambling responsibly in Illinois means understanding the risks and setting limits. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, there are numerous resources available to help.