Looking to bet on the Bulls or the Bears in their home state? I’ve put together this expert and fully comprehensive Illinois Sports betting guide to help you out.
Online and retail sports wagering has been legally available in the Prairie State since 2020, and I’ll take you through all of the legal ins and outs below. Additionally, I’ll give you the lowdown on the best welcome promotions currently available and the sportsbook brands that are offering them.
The bill (SB 690) that officially made sports betting legal in the Prairie State was signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker back in 2019. Retail sports betting first launched at the Rivers Casino Des Plaines in March 2020, which was followed by online sportsbooks going live with BetRivers in June 2020.
Are you in Illinois and want to bet on basketball and other sports? There are now eight online sportsbooks and 11 retail in-person betting units available to us in the state.
Let’s start with the basics, shall we? To give you the lowdown, I’ve put together a list of the most important events to happen when it comes to legal sports betting in Illinois. I always strive to update this timeline as and when new landmark events take place.
As fellow bettors and basketball fans, is there anything that hypes us up more than basketball-related promo? Naturally, all promos look great in the advert, but we need to keep our feet on the ground by reading the T&Cs to make sure that the offer is worthwhile.
Fortunately, there are plenty of great welcome offers with fair T&Cs in Illinois. I have tested them all out, and here you can check out my best sportsbook promotions in IL for 2025:
As a new bettor at BetMGM, you can get $158 in bonus bets when you register and place a qualifying wager of $5. Unlike most promotions of this type, you will get your bonus bets regardless of the outcome of your initial bet.
At DraftKings, you just need to sign up, deposit, and bet just $5 to get $200 in bonus bets. Once your qualifying wager has settled, you will get 8 x $25 bonus bets that each last for seven days.
FanDuel has a similar welcome offer to DraftKings, only with a couple of key differences. The main one is that you will only get your $200 in bonus bets if your team wins.
If your first bet with Caesars Sportsbook doesn’t win, you will get your stake back as a bonus bet up to $1,000. There are no wagering requirements with this bonus, however, your stake is not included in your returns should you win.
As of February 2025, there are eight legal sports betting sites in the Prairie State. I have tested out each of them extensively to bring you my top four Illinois sportsbooks:
In addition to the slam dunk of a welcome offer that I described above, BetMGM has one of the best-looking and most user-friendly mobile apps. The iOS version is slightly better than its Android counterpart, but on the whole, both apps offer a quality service.
When it comes to odds and overall value, BetMGM tends to be above average when compared to other Illinois sportsbooks, especially for the NBA. Moreover, the odds update quickly for live markets and you can place in-play wagers quickly and easily.
If you’re a fan of fantasy NBA like me, then you have probably already heard of DraftKings. In case you are wondering, the answer is yes – the DraftKings Sportsbook is every bit as good as the DFS platform, if not better.
The website and the mobile app both offer a seamless betting experience for users of all experience levels. However, if you’re more experienced, then the larger and more detailed web display might suit you better.
While it is also great for us basketball fans, FanDuel is also considered one of the best Illinois sports betting sites for the NFL. However, across all sports, you will find a diverse selection of bet types and competitive odds that are updated regularly.
As you would probably expect from such a trusted brand, this sportsbook offers a great all-around service. Everything from the mobile app to the withdrawal speed and market selection is top-tier.
I know that we are all basketball fans first and foremost here, but as the official betting partner of the White Sox, Caesars is one of the best Illinois sportsbooks for MLB wagers. Additionally, the site is not to be overlooked when it comes to overseas sports leagues like the EPL.
The excellent customer support is definitely one of my favorite things about this sportsbook. Even though it might not sound like the most exciting aspect to you right now, I promise you that it will ease so many would-be frustrations further down the line.
Above, I have introduced you to my top-rated Illinois sports betting sites, but as I have mentioned throughout this betting guide, there are eight in total. Without going into detail about all of them, here is a list where I’ve highlighted the best features of each one:
As well as the eight online licensed Illinois sportsbooks, there are several land-based retail betting locations. These can be found on riverboat casinos, at physical racetracks and off-track betting kiosks (OTB).
Every online betting site must have a retail partner, as you can see in the table I’ve put together for you below.
Online sportsbook | Mobile app | Retail partner |
---|---|---|
BetMGM | ✅ | Par-A-Dice Casino |
BetRivers | ✅ | Rivers Casino |
Caesars | ✅ | Harrah’s Joliet and Harrah’s Metropolis |
Circa | ✅ | The Temporary by American Place Casino |
DraftKings | ✅ | DraftKings at Casino Queen |
ESPN Bet | ✅ | Hollywood Casino Aurora and Hollywood Casino Joliet |
FanDuel | ✅ | FanDuel Sportsbook & Horse Racing |
PointsBet | ✅ | Hawthorne Race Course |
Sportsbook | Venue & Address |
---|---|
BetRivers Sportsbook | Rivers Casino, 3000 S River Rd, Des Plaines, IL 60018 |
DraftKings at Casino Queen | Casino Queen, 200 S Front St., East St. Louis, IL 62201 |
FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook | Par-A-Dice Casino, 21 Blackjack Blvd., East Peoria, IL 61611 |
FanDuel Sportsbook | FanDuel Sportsbook & Horse Racing (Fairmount Park), 9301 Collinsville Rd., Collinsville, IL 62234 |
PointsBet Sportsbook | Hawthorne Race Course, 3501 S Laramie Ave, Stickney, IL 60804 |
PointsBet Sportsbook | Prospect Heights Off Track Betting, 1250 S. River Rd., Prospect Heights, IL 60080 |
PointsBet Sportsbook | Crestwood Off Track Betting, 13148 Rivercrest Dr., Crestwood, IL 60445 |
PointsBet Sportsbook | Club Hawthorne, 105 E North Avenue, Villa Park, IL 60181 |
Caesars Sportsbook | Grand Victoria Casino, 250 S Grove Ave., Elgin, IL 60210 |
Caesars Sportsbook | Harrah’s Joliet, 151 N Joliet St, Joliet, IL 60432 |
Caesars Sportsbook | Harrah’s Metropolis, 100 E Front St, Metropolis, IL 62960 |
If you are 21 or older and physically located in Illinois, then you can legally register remotely for an online sportsbook account. Additionally, you can also place an in-person wager at any of the retail land-based Illinois sportsbooks listed in the table above.
Before you get started, here are a few things that I think you should know:
Don’t have the time to read through all of the information I’ve provided above? Not to worry – here is a summary of the main pros and cons of Illinois sports betting:
You can now register for your online betting account remotely in Illinois, pretty convenient, right? To make it even easier, I have put together this step-by-step guide to getting started for you:
Is this your first time placing an online sports bet? If so, it’s vital that you understand how to read moneyline (American) odds, which is the default format used in Illinois and the rest of the US.
Think it looks confusing? Don’t worry, everyone does at first, but reading the odds and understanding them is actually pretty easy. I’ve explained how it works for you below.
First of all, there are two types of odds – positive (+) and negative (-):
Overall, I think you’ll find the Illinois sports betting laws to be pretty liberal. That being said, there are a couple of notable things that you can’t bet on:
You can bet on college sports in Illinois, as the ban on wagering on in-state teams was lifted back in 2021. However, there is a massive caveat here, as you can only place college bets in person at a retail sportsbook – they are not yet available legally online.
Betting on the NFL Draft is allowed both online and offline in Illinois. Betting on off-season events like this is increasing in popularity, with the best options available on FanDuel and DraftKings in my experience.
The Illinois sports betting handle has, at the time of writing, exceeded $1 billion dollars in a single month on three occasions. 2020 saw a slight drop due to Covid 19 restrictions, but since then, the sports betting handle, hold and tax revenue have increased steadily year on year.
I have gathered the data from 2020-2023 and put it together for you in the table below:
Year | Sports betting handle | Total revenue | Hold | Taxes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | $9,991,454,139 | $848,123,669 | 8.49% | $136,517,366 |
2022 | $9,362,246,345 | $761,485,045 | 8.13% | $122,359,570 |
2021 | $6,725,719,149 | $498,826,913 | 7.42% | $80,536,320 |
2020 | $1,790,771,691 | $117,222,278 | 6.55% | $18,856,029 |
Total so far: | $27,870,191,324 | $2,225,657,905 | 7.99% | $358,269,284 |
Illinois truly is a blessed state when it comes to professional sports teams, not least one of the most successful NBA franchises in history – the Chicago Bulls. In total, there are seven pro sports teams in the Prairie State:
NHL | MLB | NBA | NFL |
---|---|---|---|
|
| Chicago Bulls | Chicago Bears |
Having passed the bill to legalize sports wagering in 2019, Illinois was among the first US states to do so outside of the main online gambling hubs of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I’m guessing that you don’t want me to bore you with the legal jargon, do you?
Instead, what I’ve done is summarized the most important sports betting rules and regulations for you in this list:
Until now, our focus has been solely on Illinois sportsbooks and sports wagering, but what about other forms of gambling? If you fancy branching out and giving something else a try, I’ve got you covered.
Here’s the legal lowdown for other forms of online and offline gambling in the prairie State:
Have you found that some of the information in this article has been a lot to digest? Not worry, here I have created a quick facts guide that you can bookmark and refer back to so that you know what’s what regarding Illinois sportsbooks and betting:
Launch date: | March 2020 |
---|---|
Age limit: | 21+ |
Online sports betting: | ✅ |
Max number of licenses: | 30 |
Live online sportsbooks: | 8 |
Remote registration: | ✅ |
Retail sports betting: | ✅ |
Betting on collegiate sports: | ✅* |
Esports betting: | ❌ |
Retail casinos: | ✅ |
Online casinos: | ❌ |
In-person poker: | ✅ |
Online poker: | ❌ |
Population: | 12.785 million |
Total handle (as of 2023): | $27,870,191,324 |
Tax rate: | 15% |
Regulator: | Illinois Gaming Board |
*College sports betting in-person only.
When it comes to responsible gaming, the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) has had a self-exclusion policy since 2002, which by far predates the online sports betting launch in 2020. Additionally, you can access the following services through all Illinois sportsbooks:
Before I let you go, the most important thing I must stress is to avoid overseas betting sites and even those licensed in any state other than Illinois. To be safe, secure, and legal only use one of the eight legal Illinois sportsbook sites or apps covered in this article.
In summary, online and in-person sports wagering is legal for all persons aged 21 and older who are physically located in the Prairie State. You have the choice between eight quality online betting sites and 11 land-based retail sportsbooks.
Given the size of the state, I fully expect to see the online and land-based sports wagering landscape grow very soon. Additionally, online casinos could very well be added at some point – but I can’t yet give you any exact information on that.
All that you need to do now is find your ideal sportsbooks, sign up, and claim your bonus to get started.
Yes, online and offline sports betting are legal in the state of Illinois. Betting on in-state collegiate teams is legal, but only in-person at retail sportsbooks and not online.
Bet365 is not one of the eight sportsbooks online that you can use to bet on sports in Illinois. However, there are some top sportsbooks available here, including BetMG< DraftKings and FanDuel. Check out my IL betting guide here for more info.
A few forms of gambling are legal in Illinois. The big one is that online and retail sports wagering is legal, as well as land-based casinos and poker rooms. However, you cannot play real money poker or casino games online or on mobile.
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.