Online Gambling Illinois
Rivers Casino Des Plaines. River Road, Des Plaines, Illinois. Rivers Casino is located in the. The Best Illinois Online Sports Betting Apps. There are five sportsbook apps live in the state. Here are our favorite as of March 06, 2021: DraftKings at Casino Queen Sportsbook– $500 risk-free bet William Hill– $300 risk-free bet FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook– $1,000 risk-free bet BetRivers– $250 deposit match PointsBet– $250 deposit match In an increasingly crowded market, we did a. Illinois online casinos should resemble the online casino marketplaces in other states. So, you can learn a lot about what online casinos in Illinois will look like by looking at these other states. And, you can anticipate which online casinos will work best for you and your needs.
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Last Updated February 18, 2021
Home to the “Windy City” and an eternal favorite of gamblers, Illinois is the base for a multitude of successful online and live tournament poker professionals. Poker seems to be in the state’s blood; President Obama often recalls his late-night games of poker played during his time at the Illinois Statehouse. In the live poker scene, locals have a wide variety of upcoming tournaments in poker clubs and riverboat casinos they can enter. Illinois has a more complicated relationship with real cash online poker.
In our guide to online poker in Illinois, we’ll explain and analyze the current gambling laws in Illinois, while discussing the poker sites which accept players from the state. We’ll discuss the odds that Illinois lawmakers regulate the Internet poker industry. This review of Illinois online poker laws will analyze whether existing gaming interests in the state support or oppose such laws.
Illinois Online Poker Guide
If you want to play online poker in IL, we suggest that you choose a room from our list below. The poker sites in this list have been chosen because they accept Illinois players, are regulated and – most importantly – have the softest games of all available Illinois online poker rooms. Here are the top legal Illinois online poker rooms
Is Online Poker Legal in Illinois?
Illinois is a state that does face some restrictions when it comes to playing poker online. Some sites that take players from other states don’t accept new players from Illinois. Read Poker Atlas for the latest updates on live poker events at local card clubs and the riverboat casino scene. As for online poker in Illinois, we have you covered.
Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about finding the right site that will allow you to sign up from Illinois; our list of real poker sites in Illinois on this page is comprised exclusively of rooms that take players from Illinois, saving your time for the online poker tables.
Best Online Poker Sites in Illinois for Real Money in 2021
Deposit Limits: $10 – $5,000
Accepts: Visa, Bitcoin, Mastercard, Bank Wire
Ignition is a popular option for players in the United States. They offer most popular cash game variants and more than $1.5 million in weekly online poker tournament guarantees. Ignition also offers Zone Poker, similar to Zoom Poker where you’re moved to a new table and dealt a new hand every time you fold.
Ignition Poker also offer a wide variety of poker promotions.
Join Ignition Poker here and get up to $2000 free!
Deposit Limits: $10 – $5,000
Accepts: Bitcoin, Visa, Bank Wire
Licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, Bovada is one of the oldest online poker sites servicing America. Bovada offers anonymous tables and a mobile-optimized design allowing play on all mobile platforms. The design makes it feel like you’re playing in Las Vegas rather than your home computer.
They offer a wide variety of cash games and tournaments with over $1.5 million in weekly guarantees.
Join Bovada Poker here and get a $500 bonus!
Deposit Limits: $25 – $25,000
Accepts: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Visa, MasterCard, Money Transfers, Bank Wire
Sportsbetting.ag offers a robust online poker option with excellent cash game and tournament action. For cash games, they provide weekly cash leaderboards with $10,000 in prizes weekly. They offer over $45,000 in weekday guarantees, over $130,000 in guarantees on Saturday and over $275,000 in guarantees on Sunday.
If you like fast-fold poker variants like Zoom Poker, you’ll love Boost Poker. Get a new hand every time you fold in this fast-paced game.
Join Sportsbetting.ag – 100% up to $1000 for new US players!
All Poker and Gambling Laws by State
Illinois was close last year. There was a strong bill championed by State Representative Robert Rita and others, there were hearings, and there was widespread support for the sports betting part of the bill. Online poker and casino games were also included in that gambling expansion bill, along with new
Read Full- December 28th, 2018
Last year, the attempt to predict which states might join the ranks of those with legalized online poker was not very successful. In fact, only one state actually passed such legislation in 2018, but at the very last minute, on December 28, that state’s governor vetoed the bill. Oh, Michigan!
Read Full - October 18th, 2018
Illinois was one of only a few states that held open the possibility of legalizing online poker and other casino games in latter part of 2018. The consideration has been part of a larger gambling expansion bill that was and remains on the table for lawmakers this year. While online
Read Full - August 26th, 2018
While most other states that had considered online poker in 2018 abandoned those ideas earlier in the year, Illinois remained open to it. One lawmaker continues to champion one bill, and its future may depend on a legislative hearing set for October. The process of legalizing online gaming – whether
Read Full - August 2nd, 2018
Most states that examined online poker in early 2018 have abandoned it for the year, as legislative sessions ended and no plans were made to revisit online gaming at all in the next few months. Illinois, it appears, is not one of those states. There wasn’t much hope placed in
Read Full - May 29th, 2018
Online poker and gambling became real legislative possibilities for Illinois in 2017. The Senate even passed a bill to legalize and regulate those internet games one year ago, but the companion bill on the House side never garnered enough support to even pass a committee. There has been no word
Read Full
Latest Updates Through 2021
Actions in the Illinois legislature in 2017 gave many legal online poker supporters hope that lawmakers were beginning to see the positives of legalizing and regulating online gaming. There was a bill that would’ve done just that for online poker and casino games, which passed the full Senate by a 42-10 vote in May, but the House bill never made it through committee as hearings were cancelled at the last minute.
However, online poker remained on the table going into 2018. State Representative Michael Zalewski’s H.479 was still being pushed, and he was confident that the right mix of gambling expansion projects would be appealing to a majority of lawmakers.
The tide began to turn not long after the United States Supreme Court overturned PASPA, which allowed New Jersey and all other states to address sports betting as they chose. Supporters of online gambling revised SB.7 to add daily fantasy sports and sports betting to the bill, but it happened late in the session and too close to its closing date of May 31.
Senate Bill 7 became a bipartisan bill, with several Republican and Democratic sponsors: Senators Terry Link, Dave Syverson, Mattie Hunter, and Donne Trotter; and Representatives Robert Rita, Rita Mayfield, Chad Hays, and Litesa Wallace. The proposal included articles for the “Fantasy Sports Act,” “Internet Gaming Act,” and “Sports Wagering Act.” Importantly, though, the bill lacked details about tax rates, licensing, and the regulatory framework.
One of those sponsors, Rita, then took an opportunity in the summer of 2018 to announce two hearings to discuss gambling expansion for Illinois. The first was held on August 22 in Chicago, and it was more than four hours of debate featuring members of joint committees. The main topics were new land-based casinos and expanded numbers of video gaming terminals.
The second hearing in early October was held in Springfield and focused heavily on sports betting. Horse racing takes precedence in Illinois and it became clear that there were many issues to be worked out before a solid bill could be drafted and presented to legalize sports betting, but it will be a priority for many lawmakers in 2019. This may mean that SB.0007 could be discarded and rewritten, and it is unclear whether online poker and casino games will be included in a new online gambling bill to be considered in early 2019.
Some speculation was correct for 2019 in that lawmakers were ready to pull together for gambling expansion in the state of Illinois. However, online poker and other forms of internet gambling were not a part of that picture. No matter the intentions of some lawmakers, it did not happen.
In the summer of 2019, a massive gambling expansion bill passed through the legislature after months of negotiations and discussions. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed it into law. It included the legalization of video gaming terminal (VGT) establishments, five new casinos in Illinois, a mega-casino in Chicago, a new racetrack, slot machines and table games in racetracks (making them racinos), and sports betting.
There will be 16 retail sportsbooks in the state and three online sportsbooks for Illinois. Casinos, racetracks, and stadiums may begin applying for sports betting licenses in December 2019. Sports betting went live in land-based establishments and online in March 2020.
The future for online poker and internet slot and table games remains unknown. The inability to include online gambling into the omnibus bill was disappointing, and it is not known if there will be an opportunity to legalize those online games in 2021.
| Type/Code | Summary |
|---|---|
| State Code Section(s) | 230.ICLS.5-40; 720.ICLS.5.28 |
| Definition of Gambling & Player | Person Commits Gambling:Knowingly plays a game of chance or skill for money or other thing of value; or 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. |
| Online Poker/Gambling | Multiple attempts to legalize online poker and internet gaming have happened in the last decade, but the most recent pieces of legislation came close to passage. The 2017 bill for online poker was paired with casino expansion and passed the Senate but not the House. There is talk of an omnibus bill that will include online gambling with other forms of gambling expansion in 2018 or 2019. |
| Live Poker | Live poker is permitted in all of the casinos in Illinois, and the poker rooms offer cash games and tournaments. |
| Casinos | The Riverboat Gambling Act permitted 10 fully-functional casinos to be established on riverboats, though the strict rules have been eased somewhat. There have been proposals to establish more casinos in Illinois, most recently via bills in 2017 and 2018. Lawmakers have come surprisingly close to expanding the number of casinos in the state. |
| Sports Betting | A bill to legalize sports betting in Illinois casinos was introduced in 2018 and is still pending.. |
| DFS | A 2017 proposal for daily fantasy sports carried over into 2018 and remains open for consideration, possibly as a part of a larger gambling expansion bill going forward. |
| Other Forms of Gambling | Horse racing, pari-mutuel betting, bingo, raffles, pull-tabs, charitable gambling, poker runs, jar games, Native American gaming, video gaming terminals. |
Illinois Law and Online Poker
So where does Illinois stand when it comes to the law and online poker? The state does address the issue of online gambling directly in its law, so let’s talk a bit more about that part of the Illinois statute and a few other aspects that should be of interest to the typical online poker player.
First, what constitutes gambling in Illinois? The law is pretty clear; gambling occurs when someone
“plays a game of chance or skill for money or other thing of value” (Section 28-1).
The only exceptions are state-approved forms of gambling.
Violation of that section as a player is a class A misdemeanor (Section 28-1(c)). Illinois does not have a history of aggressively pursuing mere participants in illegal gambling.
What does Illinois law have to say about online gambling? It is illegal if someone plays poker online?
“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” (Section 28-1(12)).”
Nothing in the section (or in any other part of Illinois law) appears to directly address the act of participating on such “internet sites” as a mere player.
What you’re left with is a situation that, to some degree, lacks legal clarity. However, that should not be mistaken as a blanket endorsement that all online gambling activity is explicitly legal. In such cases of uncertainty, players should start by reviewing the laws of Illinois personally, and then continue by consulting a lawyer if questions persist.
Illinois Gambling Guide
Most accounts of Illinois history assign gambling an early and prominent role in the story of the state. Whether through the lotteries of early settlers, the famous riverboat gambling ships that cruised Illinois waters during the 1800s or the ubiquitous, ever-present gambling halls of Chicago, you’d be hard-pressed to pick a point in the Illinois timeline that didn’t involve gambling in some way, shape or form.
Today’s gambling industry in Illinois is a result of nearly forty years of legislative shifts toward gambling expansion, one that began in 1974 with the authorization of the state lottery. Online poker legislation is an extension of those legislative trends, but like many states with a substantial land-based gambling industry, the existing interests complicate iGaming bills.
What Gambling is Regulated in Illinois?
Most popular forms of regulated gambling are permitted under Illinois law. In addition to the state lottery and the multiple casinos spread across the state, there is also legal pari-mutuel wagering in Illinois and a wide slate of charitable gambling formats.
Illinois has vastly expanded its gambling offerings in recent years, most extensively with a massive gambling expansion bill in 2019.
There had been more than 32,561 video gaming terminals (VGTs) in Illinois, and more were installed when the new law was implemented in 2020 with the creation of full VGT establishments. There were also 10 casinos in the state, but that was expanded this year to allow for five new casinos to be built and a mega-casino/resort in the city of Chicago. And on top of the three-horse racing tracks in Illinois already, an additional one was approved in 2019. Racetracks will also be able to expand to become racinos and offer up to 1,200 casino games, including slots and table games.
Online lottery games have been available for some time, but sports betting will now be available online. In 2021, there will be three online sportsbooks to complement the 16 retail sportsbooks. In addition, there will be 2,500 sports betting lottery kiosks permitted throughout the state.
IL Online Poker and Gambling Facts: Objective Sources
ICGA . The Illinois Casino Gaming Association is a trade group representing the interests of many of Illinois’ casinos. The group’s site provides useful research material for those interested in the Illinois gambling industry.
Illinois Gaming Board. The official site for the state gaming board is the definitive resource for legal and regulatory information concerning gambling in Illinois. Get information on meetings, measures, help with problem gambling and self-exclusion along with a wealth of statistical information at the IGB website.
ICPG The online home for the Illinois Council on Problem Gambling is a central location providing access to a 24-hour helpline, speakers, and resources for educators, families and players. The ICPG is opposed to poker laws that expand and regulate the industry.
Famous Illinois Poker Players
There are actually a number of points at which the history of poker and the history of Illinois intersect. One example is the story of James Butler Hickok, better known as “Wild Bill.” It was Hickok’s death that gave a name to the now-famous “dead mans hand” – two pair, aces and eights, said to be held by the lawman when he was shot during a poker game.
Another example comes in the colorful tale of Nick “The Greek” Dandolos, who called Chicago home for much of his life. Dandolos was part of the mythic (and much debated) match up with Johnny Moss that is often cited as the template for the World Series of Poker. A final, and more modern, illustration of the shared history between poker and Illinois is author and poker player Jim McManus, who lives in the state.
The plethora of live poker rooms in Illinois have allowed poker players to flourish in Illinois through the years. Even so, many of the state’s most famous players garnered most of their experience online.
Almost all of the top live tournament earners in Illinois were famous first for their online play, like Connor Drinan, Mohsin Charania, Gavin Griffin, and Kevin Saul. Their online poker earnings are not even included in the numbers below, which goes to show how well most of them crossed over from online to live play.
The top-ranked players from Illinois, as of 2019, are as follows:
1. Connor Drinan ($11.3 million)
2. Mohsin Charania ($6.2 million)
3. Gavin Griffin ($5.1 million)
4. Ryan Tosoc ($4.8 million)
5. Aaron Massey ($4.1 million)
6. Jason Wheeler ($4 million)
7. Ravi Raghavan ($4 million)
8. Kevin Saul ($3.7 million)
9. Chris Moor ($3.6 million)
10. Kyle Julius ($3.5 million)
Sources & Citations For This Article on Illinois Online Poker
Illinois is a state with a rocky history when it comes to gambling. It was among the first states to offer an online lottery in 2012 and the second to legalize riverboat gambling in the 1990s, after Iowa.
With the recently-passed Illinois Gambling Act expanding the legality of casinos and sportsbook gaming across the state, Illinois will continue being at the forefront of gaming in the midwest moving forward.
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Illinois Casino Legalization
The history of Illinois casinos starts on the race track in 1927. Then, it introduced the official state lottery in 1974; Illinois was also the first state to host an official online lottery in 2012.
By the early 1990s, Illinoisans had become just the second state to allow access to gambling by riverboat in Illinois. In fact, the state is home to ten riverboat gambling sites. These are the only physical Illinois casinos at the time of this writing.
In 2009, the state introduced VGTs. VGT stands for video gaming terminals, which essentially were electronic lottery machines. However, their gameplay was more closely reminiscent of slot machines.
Most recently, the Prairie State’s governor, J.B Pritzker, introduced the Illinois Gambling Act in 2019. This legislation paves the way for the future of betting in Illinois, both online and in-person.
The Illinois Gambling Act legalized sports betting in late 2019 and planned six new land-based casinos across the state. This act includes the blueprint for a “mega-casino,” which will be located outside of Chicago. None of these six casinos have been built at the time of this writing.
This legislation also expanded the number of gaming positions that Illinois casinos are permitted to have. It also gives riverboats complete access to moving to a physical, on-land location (provided they pay a fee).
Currently, IL online casinos are still illegal. You may only access Illinois online betting through sportsbooks or lottery games. Illinois online casinos are only available through sweepstakes sites. Look for this to change soon.
Best Casinos in Illinois
Now, if you want to get into Illinois online casinos, first you will want to look into the casinos that are already in the state. You will want to do this because many times the already existing casinos will become the best online casinos. So, becoming familiar with the best casinos in the state of Illinois will prepare you for those online casino launches.
Harrah’s Joliet Hotel and Casino / Harrah’s Metropolis Hotel and Casino
The Illinois casinos Harrah’s Joliet Hotel and Casino and Harrah’s Metropolis Hotel and Casino are names you should get to know. The Harrah’s Casinos via Caesars sports are expected to launch Illinois sportsbooks online very soon. So, that means that these casinos could become some of the best online casinos in the state once online casinos are legalized.
Hollywood Hotel and Casino Joliet
The Hollywood Hotel and Casino Joliet is another of the Illinois casinos you will want to get to know. The Hollywood Casino already has its own sportsbook brand that has launched in PA, meaning it could be one of the first USA online casinos to launch in Illinois once it is able to legally. So, you should check out the Hollywood Hotel and Casino in Joliet before that happens.
Rivers Casino Des Plaines
The Rivers Casino Des Plaines is another casino to look into if you are curious about the best online casinos. This is because the Rivers Casino Des Plaines is set to launch their BetRivers sportsbook in Illinois. So, that means that one of the most popular USA online casinos, the BetRivers casino, could be launched in Illinois as soon as it is legally able to.
List of Illinois Casinos
At the time of writing, there are only ten Illinois casinos that have a physical location. Out of these ten, all of them are riverboats. However, the Illinois Gambling Act has allowed for the construction of six physical, land-based Illinois casinos. The following is a list of the locations for the planned Illinois casinos:
- Chicago
- Danville
- Waukegan
- Rockford
- Williamson County
- Cook County
Out of these six Illinois casinos, keep an eye on the one planned near Chicago. The state has already permitted them to build a “mega-casino” that features twice as many games as others.
Betting in Illinois on riverboats has been a state-wide custom since the 90s. Here’s a list of the current Illinois casinos on riverboats:
- Argosy Casino Alton
- Hollywood Casino Aurora
- Grand Victoria Casino
- Harrah’s Metropolis Casino & Hotel
- Rivers Casino Des Plaines
- Hollywood Casino Joliet
- Harrah’s Joliet Casino & Hotel
- DraftKings at Casino Queen
- Jumer’s Casino & Hotel
- Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino
Out of these ten, the Grand Victoria Casino, Harrah’s Joliet Casino & Hotel, Hollywood Casino Aurora, and Jumer’s Casino & Hotel are the only ones to offer full poker rooms.
Casino Games Available
One of the most important factors that you will face when choosing from the legal Illinois online casinos when they open will be which games are offered. So, you should learn about the casino games that are typically available on most online casinos. Then, you will know what to look for when Illinois online casinos become a reality in the state.
Many of the casino games you will find on online casinos are games of skill. But, you will also find casino games that are games of luck. It is best to figure out your own particular skill set and interest when choosing which casino game is for you.
Slots
Slots and Video slots are very popular games at casinos and online casinos alike. With slots, the customer pulls a lever and tries to match a certain number of pictures that scroll by in different columns. Slots is a game of chance, not a game of skill, like many of the other games you will find at Illinois online casinos.
Table and Card Games
Table and Card Games that you will find at online casinos resemble the classic casino games. So, these refer to card games like Blackjack for instance. Blackjack is a fairly easy game for new users to learn, but a hard game for users to master.
Poker Options
Poker is one of the most popular casino games and online casino games that you will find. Many customers join online casinos simply to play poker and video poker. Poker is so popular that some online casino and online sportsbook operators offer whole sites dedicated to poker. Poker is the ultimate casino game of skill. When playing poker in a casino or on an online casino, you will want to make sure you understand the rules. Poker can take a long time to master, so you should make sure to learn all the rules and ways you can win.Illinois Casino Apps
Now, as we discussed before, Illinois online casinos are not yet legal in the state. So, that means that Illinois online casino apps are also not yet legal in the state. But, we can look at the online casino operators that are most likely to move into the state when they are legally able to launch.
So, the same possible online casino operators we discussed before are very likely to launch Illinois online casino apps when they are able to. This includes BetRivers, Harrah’s via Caesars online casino, as well as the Hollywood Casino. Because these operators are likely to open up Illinois sportsbooks online in the state, we can expect to see online casinos from these operators when they can legally launch in Illinois.
Once these operators are able to launch their online casinos legally in Illinois, we can expect the casinos apps soon after. Many online casinos already have apps launched in other states that are associated with their online casinos. So, it would be fairly easy for these operators to launch their online casino apps in Illinois when they are legally able to.
Illinois Online Sportsbooks
Now, as discussed before, Illinois has recently legalized online sports betting in the state through Senate Bill 690, also known as SB 690. So, we can expect Illinois sportsbooks to be flooding the state very soon. And, we can look at the operators in other states to see which online sportsbooks are likely to launch.
Just as we mentioned before, we can expect to see online sportsbooks from a few different operators first. It is anticipated that BetRivers, Harrah’s via Caesars Sports, and the Hollywood Casino will be some of the first Illinois sportsbook operators. And, once they launch their online sportsbooks, we can expect accompanying sportsbooks apps to launch as well.
There are plenty of online sportsbooks operators in other states with legal sports betting. So, it is a good idea to do your research on the online sportsbooks that are already in operation in other states. That way, you will know all about these online sportsbooks when they finally become available in Illinois.
FAQ Online Casinos
Do you still have any questions related to Illinois online casinos? Check out this quick list of frequently asked questions about Illinois online betting.
Are online casinos legal in Illinois?
No. Illinois online casinos are illegal at the time of this writing. That being said, players can access Illinois online betting on casino games through sweepstakes sites. These sweepstakes sites are essentially IL online casinos that don’t require any purchase or deposit to play.
Online Gambling Illinois
Are land-based casinos legal in Illinois?
Online Gambling In Illinois
Yes. Although Illinois online casinos are illegal, players will soon access physical casinos across the state.
What kinds of games can I play online in Illinois?
Illinois online betting sites like BetRivers offer lines and odds for sports.
What are the age requirements for online casinos in Illinois?
When betting in Illinois through sportsbooks, lotteries, and most other methods, you must be 21 years or older. However, due to the grey area within which sweepstakes sites work, you only need to be 18 to access them. Look for this to become more concrete with the addition of more Illinois online casinos.
Final Thoughts on Casino Gambling in Illinois
Online Gambling Sites In Illinois
Illinois online casinos enter 2021 in an interesting position. They’re the last of the classic betting formats that still remain illegal in the state. However, with the Illinois Gambling Act being passed in 2019, the legality of Illinois online casinos, as well as their land-based counterparts, has become far more lenient.
We’d expect there to be an increased demand for licenses for IL online casinos in the coming months and years. The state government has the added benefit of seeing how some neighboring states are handling virtual casinos before going all-in on Illinois online casinos.
Regardless of where and how you choose to play, make sure you’re doing so safely. The burden of responsibility is aided by various sites and their programming but ultimately rests on your shoulders. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, especially when the gambling world is growing at such a rapid pace.