All About Gambling Online in Illinois
Online gambling Illinois is a popular pastime for many players, and there’s no shortage of it. Since March of 2022, players can sign up for an Illinois sportsbook account online. On top of this, there are 10 retail online casinos in Illinois, as well as numerous US sites that players from this state can access at any time.
The Prairie State is home to the most numerous video gaming terminals, lottery, retail casinos, and at one point, even racinos. Just recently, people from Illinois bet $286.2 million on the game March Madness, which is considered a state record.
The upgrade in the registration policy as well as the announced new sportsbooks and casinos in the near future mean that the Illinois online gambling industry will thrive in the years that follow. Let’s learn more about it.
Online Gambling Sites Illinois
Laws and Regulations of Illinois Online Gambling Sites
Players that enjoy gambling online in USA have versatile choices in this state. Certain types of gambling are perfectly legal and as such, players have many options in terms of sports betting, lottery, and retail sports betting.
While there aren’t real money casino sites with a license from this state, gamblers are not restricted from playing at the top-rated online casinos USA as long as they accept players from this state.
Is Online Gambling Legal in Illinois Today?
To answer your question: ‘does Illinois allow online gambling’, yes, they do.
Betting in some forms is legal. The currently legalized forms are sports betting, lottery, and social casinos. Even though there isn’t a site that is licensed and regulated, players can also legally gamble on websites from other states and parts of the world as long as they are licensed and regulated properly.
What is the Legal Age for Online Gambling in Illinois?
According to the Illinois online gambling legislation, you need to be at least 18 years old to be able to gamble legally on online casino sites, sports and other betting options in the state.
Who Regulates Online Gambling Sites Illinois?
The licensing and regulation processes in this state are under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Gaming Board. The first online sportsbooks went live in May of 2020, and this bill also allowed for 6 more retail casinos in the state, including the one in Chicago.
Lottery outlets, casinos, racetracks and stadiums are encouraged to apply for online operator licenses, but there are very few available for grabs at the moment.
Legalized Games under Illinois Online Gambling Laws
Here is a full list of legalized games for online gambling according to the laws in Illinois:
- Sports betting. At this moment, there are 7 regulated sportsbooks: DraftKings, BetRivers, PointsBet, FanDuel, Caesars, BetMGM, and Barstool.
- Lottery. The lottery has been available for a while now. Today, you can find in-state draws and large multi-state prizes such as Mega Millions and the Powerball. There are also instant-play games available such as Deal or No Deal. Illinois Lottery is available at retail locations and online, and you can purchase your tickets on the Internet.
- Retail sports betting. Right now, there are 11 retail sports betting options in this state. This allows you to enjoy beverage and food service, and bet on games in person. Every racetrack, casino and sports stadium in the state can host a retail sportsbook.
- Daily fantasy sports contests. These also run legally in this state. In 2020, the Supreme Court of Illinois ruled that DFS contests do not constitute gambling, and major sites like DraftKings and FanDuelDFS already offer real-money picks.
- Real money casinos. There are 11 land-based casinos in this state where you can play blackjack, slot machines, roulette, and more. The only betting allowed in this state is at retail casinos, and not online. If you want to play casino games with real money, you can legally play at online poker sites regulated by other states. The Internet Gaming Act doesn’t restrict regulated online slots, poker, and table games, but that particular bill remains stalled.
- Poker. You can play two types of legal poker in this state – retail and charity. There are three live poker rooms: Hollywood Casino in Aurora, Bally’s Quad Cities Casino in Rock Island, and Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin.
Online Gambling Illinois Real Money Sites Today
You don’t have a lot of choice when picking the best online Illinois gambling site because all that is legally allowed and licensed are social casinos. To enjoy the best online gambling Illinois, you can play on websites like Chumba, Luckyland, and Funzpoins. You can also play at offshore casinos with proper licenses and reputation.
In these three casinos, you can play Illinois online gambling slots, table games, and card games. Slots come with a great versatility. You can find hundreds of them to choose from. Card and table games come in many variations and include blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps, etc.
Your Options for Online Sports Gambling Illinois
As we mentioned, Illinois online sports gambling is legalized and currently licensed. The most popular sportsbooks in this state are DraftKings, Unibet, BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook. Right now, only a limited number of sportsbooks have obtained their license to operate in this state, but others are already applying, so this number is very likely to increase.
Responsible Gambling at Illinois Online Casinos
The state has different measures in place to assist and protect problem gamblers. In 2002, the Statewide Riverboat Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program for Problem Gamblers or SEP was launched by the Illinois Gaming Board. This program allows players that believe they have problems to self-exclude themselves from all the available Illinois casinos, as well as sportsbooks.
The Illinois Department of Human Services has a website that provides advice and support to problem gamblers. The site is WeKnowTheFeeling.org, and they also have a phone number for contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
In addition to this, the IGB also established a Problem Gambling Registry for Video Gaming in 2018. If you enroll in this, you’ll receive emails that provide you with information about problem gambling, as well as links and information for programs that offer prevention and treatment in the state. This program is not exclusive to Illinois residents and can be accessed by others, too.
On the IGB official website, you can find tons of information regarding these options for getting help for problem gamblers.
FAQ
- ❓ What kind of Illinois gambling online is legal for players?
- Online gambling is legal for people that reside and are physically in the borders of Illinois. The options for gambling are retail casinos, sportsbooks, and lottery.
- ❓ What’s the legal age for gambling online Illinois?
- You need to be at least 18 years old to be able to legally gamble online and offline in the state of Illinois. This applies to any type of gambling based on their regulations.
- ❓ Can I gamble online in Illinois?
- Yes. Players can legally gamble in Illinois. If you can’t find the games you are looking for in the existing sites from Illinois, you can also gamble at offshore casinos as long as you know that they are licensed and safe to play at.