Illinois Online Gambling

History

As with many states in the country, Illinois has a long history with gambling. Nowadays, the lottery, casinos and sports betting are all legal in the state. Take a look below to see some of the key dates in the history of gambling in Illinois.

The first riverboat casino in Illinois opened in 1991.

• 1800sIllinois has a large problem with unlicensed riverboat casinos and the clientele they attract. Gambling is eventually banned altogether in the state.

• 1927Pari-mutuel betting is legalized in Illinois.

• 1975Illinois becomes the first state in the country to introduce a lottery.

• 1990The Riverboat Casino Act is passed, legalizing riverboat casinos. These casinos had to be moving along a waterway in order to legally operate.

• 1991The first riverboat casino opened.

• 1999A change to the law means that casinos no longer need to be on moving riverboats.

• 2019Sports betting is legalized in Illinois, both online and offline. Both forms of sports betting began in 2020.

Even though there is a surge in the sports betting industry in Illinois, the state seems to be wary of legalizing online casino games or poker. However, this might change soon with State Rep. Bob Rita introducing a new piece of legislation that could well take Illinois down the iGaming and online poker route.

This prospective legislation is named HB3142 or the Internet Gaming Act. It contends that casinos and racetracks may apply for licenses for interactive gambling against a fee of $500,000 fee which is similar to Pennsylvania. However, each venue can claim up to a maximum of three skins.

There is a very strong incentive to see the legislation through by Illinois as the States where iGaming has been legalized get huge inflows of revenue. This is especially crucial in present times, where states are struggling financially and looking to make up for lost revenue due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though Illinois generated tax revenue of $12.3 million in December alone, that from iGaming would further bolster its financial position.

In the legislation, Bob Rita recommends that the tax on iGaming would be the same as that of sports betting, which is currently 12% on profits. The proposed online gaming framework, therefore, makes sense as the industry is way ahead more lucrative than sports betting sites.

In spite of the many angles going in favor of the legislation, the passage of the bill might not be smooth and easy. There is still a chance that legislators and residents will not take too kindly to the idea of legalizing the iGaming industry. Several state bodies and businesses might also dig their heels in, as they fear that there will be an adverse impact from the societal and economic viewpoint.

If HB3142 does go through successfully despite the odds in all chambers of the legislation and gets the nod from Gov. Pritzker, the Illinois Gaming Control Board would have to administer the Internet Gaming Act within 90 days.

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Groundwork laid in 2018

The discussion about whether to legalize sports betting ramped up in the summer of 2018, when the legislature began holding gaming hearings. The first hearing was informational. Stakeholders and municipalities were invited to an Aug. 21, 2018, hearing in Chicago, where they joined others in the gaming industry in revealing what they hoped sports betting would look like.

Two months later, the Joint Committee on Revenue and Finance held a hearing on sports betting that made it clear lawmakers would prioritize sports betting in 2019. That hearing also laid at least some of the groundwork for a sports betting bill.

Par-A-Dice Casino and Hotel

The Par-A-Dice Casino and Hotel is in Peoria, Illinois, and features a full-scale casino, multiple dining options and a hotel with multiple packages and options for bettors.

New York

N. Hampshire

Hockey

Of course, being so far North means that Illinois’ destiny would be entwined with the NHL. Chicago is home to one of the Original Six NHL teams: the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks have an impressive six Stanley Cups to their name, including three victories since 2010. They currently share their United Center home with the Chicago Bulls. The sheer concentration of some of the biggest names in American sports shows that Chicago is a sports-mad city. The Chicago Wolves and the Rockford IceHogs also represent the state in the AHL.

Can I bet on sports online in Illinois?

Yes. American Gambler includes the best legal Illinois sports betting sites and mobile apps.

Wyoming

Legal online betting is quickly becoming a reality in the United States. Most US states have had legal online horse racing betting for several years now, but more recently we are starting to see individual states legalize additional forms of online betting such as casino games, poker, daily fantasy sports and lotteries.

In 2011, the Department of Justice issued a legal opinion that changed the way the federal government interprets the Wire Act of 1961. Essentially, what the Department of Justice opined was that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting, not to other forms of online gaming. This decision ultimately made it possible for individual states to legalize and regulate new forms of online gaming.

New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware quickly got on board and legalized online casino games, online poker or both provided organizations seeking to organize such games are properly licensed and approved. Pennsylvania joined the party in 2017 and was followed by West Virginia in 2019.  Michigan got on board in early 2021 with the launch of online sports betting, poker, and gambling.

Legal sports betting has expanded as well thanks to a 2018 Supreme Court decision striking down the federal prohibition. In addition to Nevada, we now have legal sports betting in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Mississippi and additional states since then.

The Department of Justice complicated things in 2019 with a sudden decision to go back to its pre-2011 interpretation of the Wire Act. Under the current opinion, the DOJ believes the Wire Act applies to all forms of gambling. The implications of the decision are unclear, but the decision has not stopped a growing number of states from taking up sports betting legislation.

Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino

• Address: 21 Blackjack Blvd., East Peoria, IL 61611
• Sportsbook: Yes
• Poker: No

Illinois Online Casinos and Real Money Slots

DraftKings and FanDuel find a way

Despite strong efforts to slow them down, DraftKings and FanDuel were not deterred. DraftKings reached a partnership agreement with the Casino Queen-East St. Louis, now known as the DraftKings at Casino Queen, and was the second online sportsbook to launch in the state. FanDuel reached a similar co-branding deal with Par-A-Dice Casino after the application process to enter via Fairmount Park was not progressing at a pace to its liking. FanDuel announced later that it had plans to transfer its retail and mobile sportsbook operators to Fairmount Park, which was licensed in late October.

How are Illinois sports teams involved in sports betting?

Home to the NFL’s Chicago Bears, MLB’s Cubs and White Sox, the NHL’s Blackhawks and the NBA’s Bulls, Illinois hosts many of the nation’s best known and beloved professional sports teams. Soon, those teams may also open some of the nation’s first in-stadium sportsbooks.

The 2019 Illinois sports betting bill permits the aforementioned teams, as well as MLS’ Chicago Fire and two professional motorsports facilities, to open sportsbooks in their home venues. As of August 2020, none of those teams had done so, but Illinois could be the just the second jurisdiction with in-stadium sportsbooks, following Washington D.C.

Key components of Illinois sports betting law:

• It is legal to bet on college and professional sports, but betting on Illinois college teams is prohibited online; confusingly, it is now allowed at retail casinos only
• In-person registration was required until March 5, 2022, but is now available online
  • Mobile-only platforms had to wait to go live until 18 months after retail sportsbooks, or mobile platforms tethered to retail books went live.
• Illinois requires sportsbooks to purchase “official league data”
• The legal age for sports betting is 21
• Sports betting revenue will be funneled to the “Rebuild Illinois” fund, which will provide for road improvements, education, and other good works
• Programs for those with a gambling program: The sports betting law includes the self-exclusion policy for those with a gambling problem that was created by the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) in 2002. IGB administers two programs to help those with a gambling problem: a self-exclusion program and a gambling problem registry. Though not a part of the sports betting law, it is worth mentioning that the Illinois Department of Human Services also has services available for those with a gambling problem

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May 2011

State lawmakers passed a gambling expansion bill on May 31. However, with the governor expected to veto the bill, Cullerton used a parliamentary motion to prevent it from going to the Governor’s office. The hope was an agreement could be negotiated to see the bill signed into law in some form.

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BetRivers is the online sports betting site for Rivers Casino in Des Plaines. The property is partially owned by Rush Street Gaming, which developed the BetRivers app in Illinois and other legalized states.

Caesars

Caesars Sportsbook in Illinois was one of the very first to launch in the state back in September 2020. Partnered with Harrah's Metropolis, Caesars Metropolis is located in Metropolis, Illinois.

Caesars’ acquisition of William Hill online sports betting in 2020 for $3.7 billion was finalized in August 2021. This massive deal immediately took Caesars to the top of the industry. Caesars is a high-quality sportsbook and had been a steady name in gambling even before the Supreme Court's ruling allowing states to legalize online sports betting in 2018, thanks to its parent company’s portfolio of casinos across the US.

Caesars is constantly running great promotions for new users and has a solid rewards program for current users. Caesars app and website are easy to use, making it one of the best Illinois sportsbooks.

Casino Gaming in Illinois

Although online casino games in Illinois are not legal, you can still play casino games at the several riverboat casinos in the state. Illinois casinos offer legal gambling options such as slot machines, table games, and video poker. Some of the land based casinos even offer poker rooms. Residents and visitors to the Prairie State can enjoy one of the following legal retail casinos.

• Argosy Casino Alton
• Casino Queen, East St Louis
• Grand Victoria Casino Elgin
• Harrah’s Casino & Hotel Joliet
• Harrah’s Metropolis Casino & Hotel
• Hollywood Casino Aurora
• Hollywood Casino & Hotel Joliet
• Jumer’s Casino & Hotel, Rock Island
• Par-A-Dice Casino & Hotel, East Peoria
• Rivers Casino Des Plaines

Rivers Des Plaines is one the most iconic Illinois Casinos.

Online casino laws in the United States

Casino gaming is legal in many states in the US. However, this does not mean that online casino gaming is permitted in all states with bricks and mortar casinos.

In fact, some states have passed legislation to prohibit all forms of remote gambling (gambling via the internet) even though they have thriving retail casino industries.

One important fact though is that there is currently no federal law that prohibits online casino gaming or online gambling of any kind. This wasn’t always the case though as back in 2006 President George W. Bush signed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). While this law didn’t specifically target online casino gaming, it did make it illegal for businesses to transfer funds to and from online gambling companies.

The UIGEA didn’t come into effect until 2010 at which point many online poker companies had already pulled out of the US market. A few remained and would pay the ultimate price.

On April 13th, 2011 the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed a 52-page indictment that named executives of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker. The indictment also included a civil complaint against the companies that sought $3 billion in assets from the sites. As you’d expect, this had a negative impact on the potential for regulated casino gaming.

However, the Department of Justice later that year published a revised opinion on the Federal Wire Act that indicated that it only applied to sports betting. The Federal Wire Act had previously been used in conjunction with the UIGEA to determine if any state laws were broken but the DoJ’s new stance on the Act opened the industry up for possible legalization and regulation on a state-by-state level.

Since then, several states have moved to legalize online casino gaming, but the US Supreme Court’s decision that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) was unconstitutional put all the focus back onto sports betting.

This means that online casino regulation in many individual states has stalled as lawmakers push through legislation for the more lucrative sports betting industry.

At the time of writing there are six states that have legalized online casino gaming:

• Connecticut
• Delaware
• New Jersey
• Michigan
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia

Legislation has also been proposed in the following states:

• Illinois
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• New York

New York seems the most likely candidate for legal online casino gaming in 2022 as two bills have been proposed that seem to have garnered enough support to be pushed through. Meanwhile Kentucky has added a companion bill legalizing online poker to a sports betting bill that has been passed in the house in March of 2022. Lawmakers will now decide during the summer whether or not to move ahead with it.

It’s worth noting that there are also a number of grey states where there is no specific prohibition of online casino gaming in state legislation. In these states, international gambling companies will often serve the market, but these companies are not regulated and have no rules or restrictions regarding how they conduct their gambling business.

User reviews:

Checking out what some of your fellow online casino lovers have said about Illinois casinos online is another solid way for you to assess how safe the operator is to use. Try to read a decent amount of these user reviews to get a general consensus on the online casinos you are interested in.

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Taxes and fees

• Number of “master licenses” allowed: Up to 23
• Number of mobile-only licenses: 3
• One mobile “skin” is allowed per retail sportsbook, race track & sports venue
• Licensing fees range from $3 million to $20 million.  It will cost professional sports venues $10 million for a license, and stand-alone mobile operators will pay $20 million, making Illinois one of the priciest states in which to get a license
• Tax rate: 15%

Current Gambling Laws

Further changes in the Illinois gambling law came with The Video Gaming Act in 2009. Under this act, up to five Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs) can be placed in licensed retail establishments, truck stops, veteran and fraternal establishments. All VGTs are connected to a Central Communications System under the control of the Illinois Gaming Board that sets the theoretical payouts and other rules related to VGTs.

Finally, the current law was enacted in 2019 by Governor Pritzker and is dubbed the Illinois Gambling Act. This gambling act deals with riverboat and land-based casinos, as well as all types of games that take place in those places. This latest law is seen as a substantial expansion of the gambling scene. Namely, casino operators are no longer confined to water in the forms of riverboat casinos but can operate on land as well, following the licensing procedure leading towards the appropriate license.

Rivers Casino is a riverboat casino that managed to obtain the first land-based license in November 2019 that allowed it to add 123 gaming positions. Under this recent law changes, the Illinois Gaming Board will issue permits to six more land-based operators, and ten applications have already been filed.

The annual taxes for casinos is a gross receipts tax, which means it depends on the gross receipts amount. It ranges from 15% on annual gross receipts below $25 million, to 50% for casinos with $200 million and more in total revenues.

Other gambling-related laws under chapter 230 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes relate to charitable gaming, bingo, raffles, poker, and different types of gambling.

Maine

Hard Rock Applies For Sports Wagering Licenses In Illinois

by Chris Altruda

September 26, 2022

Hard Rock has joined the lengthening queue for a sports betting license in Illinois, applying for both retail and mobile operations.

Understanding Social Casinos and 'Sweep Coins'

These sites don't ask for any monetary considerations from players. Instead, they have their virtual currency called Sweep Coins. Players are awarded Sweep Coins when they signup and players can earn the same by winning online casino games.

These Sweeps Coins can be used as entry fees to join player contests and tournaments that reward cash prizes. The concept of Sweep Coins makes it perfectly legal since it doesn't ask the players for any money to play.

Moreover, social casinos are the safest online casinos you would see. You are potentially at no risk when you haven't invested any money.

You should prefer them over offshore casinos if your objective is to enjoy your favorite casinos online because offshore sites are neither regulated, legal, or dependable.

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Five tribes propose building commercial casinos in Illinois

October 25, 2019

Illinois has authorized six new casinos to be licensed and built under the Rebuild Illinois Act signed into law by Gov. Pritzker on June 29, 2019. The six locations for these new casinos are Chicago, Danvillle, Rockford, South Suburbs, Walker's Bluff and Waukegan.

Casino applicants have submitted proposals to local governments for review and approval. All approved proposals will be forwarded this week to the Illinois Gaming Board for final approval and licensing. The Board may take up to one year to complete the process.

Among the many casino applicants are five Native American tribes which all own successful casino operations in other states. In Illinois they are seeking to build state-licensed commercial casinos rather than federally authorized Indian gaming casinos.

These are the tribes that have submitted casino proposals:

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has proposed a $300 million casino hotel in Matteson Village, a south suburb of Chicago. (See story)

Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin has proposed building a $300 million commercial casino and hotel on land it owns in Lynwood, Illinois, south of Chicago. (See story)

Seminole Tribe of Florida owns Hard Rock International, which has been approved by the Rockford City Council to build a $310 million casino hotel. (See story)

Potawatomi of Forest County, Wisconsin, has proposed building a casino in the City of Waukegan, Illinnois. (See story)

Poarch Creek Indians of Alabama, and owners of Wind Creek Hospitality has proposed building a $275 million casino about 26 miles south of Chicago in the communities of East Hazel Crest and Homewood. (See story)

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Is Online Gambling Legal in Illinois?

The situation with online gambling in Illinois is not so clear cut. The only two forms of legal online gambling are betting on horse races and other sports via betting sites from licensed race tracks and online lottery. Daily Fantasy sports betting was declared illegal by the Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in 2015.

Moreover, in the Illinois Criminal Code, section 720, ILCS 5/28-1, we can see rules that explicitly prohibit internet gambling. Namely, the language in the Code is aimed at gambling operators who will be guilty of illicit gambling if an operator “knowingly establishes, maintains, or operates an Internet site that permits a person to play a game of chance or skill for money or other thing of value by means of the Internet or to make a wager upon the result of any game, contest, political nomination, appointment, or election by means of the Internet.”

However, this does not mean that the officers of the law are in active pursuit of people who gamble online. The truth is — there hasn’t been a single example of a person being charged and imprisoned for gambling online. This means that, if you can find offshore gambling sites that accept players from Illinois, you can gamble all you want without any fear of legal persecution.

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Commercial Casinos in Illinois

There are nine different land-based casinos in Illinois scattered throughout the state. Though they all range in terms of size and popularity, they all offer the basics.

Alternatives to Registering Your Account in the State of Illinois

Perhaps you are lucky enough to have another address in a nearby state, be it your business address, summer home, second apartment, family home, etc, If so, then you may have other online poker options available. Here is a list of the states that border Illinois and Professional Rakeback's review on each of them: Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. For an overall picture of the internet poker scene in the United States, head over to our players guide to U.S.A. online poker.

There's plenty of ignorance among the population regarding online poker in Illinois, but you can do something to address this problem. If you have any friends or family members who are interested in this subject, then please share this page with them so that you can inform them about the game they enjoy.

June 2017

The Illinois House is expected to reconvene and may vote on an online gambling and daily fantasy sports bill passed by the Senate.

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Live dealers

Many of you may be after a higher level of engagement in your gambling. If so you should give live casino games a go with real-life dealers. These professional dealers will interact with you and provide you with a riveting gaming adventure. It certainly takes things to the next level and will enable you to fully immerse yourself in the Illinois online gambling experience.

Using FanDuel on the go

As we mentioned earlier, they do have a mobile app for betting on the go and it is just as clutter-free and user-friendly as the desktop version of their site. You can expect a few crashes now and again while engaging in live betting, however, it’s nothing too serious and it’s easily rectified in a matter of seconds. If you use an Apple device, then you can download the mobile app directly onto your phone using the link from the operator’s site. However, Android users will have a few more steps to get the app downloaded and installed.

FanDuel sports has one of the most extensive collections of betting markets and betting types as well. They also offer a cash-out feature that allows you to cash out early and minimize your losses. Ultimately, we think that FanDuel is one of the best sportsbooks around the globe and they tick almost every box when compared to other sportsbooks we’ve reviewed.

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