Illinois

The Best Illinois online casinos

BetRivers Casino is an outstanding gambling platform held by Rush Street Interactive. Also known to be the online version of the land-based Rivers Casino Resorts located all over the US, including the one at 3000 S. River Road Des Plaines, Illinois 60018. The online casino has 250+ slot machines, table games, video poker games, and live dealer games. As well as an especially designed Illinois Sportsbook, filled with a great variety of sports betting and live sports betting events and matches, and virtual sports games. Working with top developers like NetEnt, Bally, Shuffle Master, and Scientific Games. The casino holds a license by the Illinois Gaming Board to legally provide sports betting online. The hottest casino games on the platform include American Roulette, Infinite Blackjack Live, Piggy Riches Megaways, and Hotline. English is supported! And the casino accepts USD payments with Play+, VIP Preferred, Visa, and many more.
BetMGM Casino is an online casino with countless casino games, available across mobile devices, and holding several licenses from US state jurisdictions. Including New Jersey, Indiana, Colorado, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Michigan, Iowa, Washington D.C., Virginia, West Virginia! It is managed and operated by BetMGM a company that also holds the famous MGM Resorts. 1,190+ slots, table games, video poker games, Slingo games, live casino games, and impressive Sportsbook are available. Bringing to the Illinois players games from Evolution Gaming, NextGen, Bally, Relax Gaming, Amaya, and many more. And welcoming them with smashing casino welcome bonuses of $25 No Deposit Bonus + 100% up to $1,000 1st deposit bonus. Alongside Sports Betting Bonuses, Poker Tournaments, Sports Betting Tournaments, Unique Carnival Bonuses, and Loyalty program that can be used in both the casino and the resort!
Party Casino is a gambling platform where the fun never ends! It owns not just one but several licenses by the DGE, the MGA, Gibraltar, and the UK, with the owner ElectraWorks Limited. Encounter on a gambling party by placing bets in USD directly on over 1,000+ slots, table games, Slingo games, and 16+ live dealer sessions. Brought to you by popular producers, such as Pragmatic Play, BetSoft, and Playtech. The hottest slots have an included progressive jackpot pots that can drop any second, including Melon Madness, Cleopatra, and the Win Genie. Support payment solutions include Skrill, American Express, MasterCard, and other low-fee transfer methods. Try out your luck today at Party Casino and receive a 100%/$1,000 welcome pack!
Borgata Casino is one of the best gambling sites from our top Illinois online casino list! It holds licenses from New Jersey and Pennsylvania and uses the latest security mechanics. The company standing behind its management is Marina District Development Company LLC. The supported casino games are more than 1,389+ slots, table games, Slingo, scratchcards, and live casino games. Developed by WMS, IGT, Amaya, Evolution, and 5+ more nice choices of providers. The best casino game titles include Unlimited Blackjack, Lightning Roulette, Bonanza Megaways, and Starburst. The site is available in English and can be launched via PC, mobile phones, and tablet devices. Bets can be placed in your local USD currency, so you won’t have to lose out money on exchange rates.

Gambling in the Us – the Legal Landscape

The US gambling laws are somewhat confusing, and plenty of gambling players in different US states are constantly wondering whether they can legally participate in gambling activities. The confusion comes from the difference between federal and state laws in the US. Generally, the federal laws don’t have an exact statement towards online gambling and don’t state is an illegal activity. However, what citizens should be looking at are the state laws. Every US state has its own state government, constitution, court and has the right to apply its very own laws towards gambling.
The US states law regulators have classified online gambling into three main categories of online casinos, online sports betting, and online poker. While some have legalized them all, others have allowed only some of them and forbidden others. The first US state to take the step to legalize online gambling was Delaware in 2012. Soon followed by Nevada and New Jersey, and currently, 24 US states have legalized online gambling to some extent. The US states which have completely legalized online gambling to this date are Саlіfоrnіа, Dеlаwаrе, Іllіnоіѕ, Іndіаnа, Іоwа, Місhіgаn, Nеvаdа, Nеw Наmрѕhіrе, Nеw Јеrѕеу, Реnnѕуlvаnіа, Rhоdе Іѕlаnd, аnd Wеѕt Vіrgіnіа.
In the near future, we expect more and more US states to change their online gambling laws for the better. Illinois itself has made a significant push towards the idea of legalizing online gambling but proceedings have been prolonged, and we still can’t make a statement whether or not Illinois players will get to enjoy inshore online casinos any time soon. Соnnесtісut, Оhіо, Маѕѕасhuѕеttѕ, аnd Nеbrаѕkа are one of the states who are most likely to change their online gambling laws in the following year.

Whаt іѕ аllоwеd іn Illinois?

Illinois has legalized several types of gambling within the state borders. Currently, one land-based casino and several riverboat casinos, are operating in the state with specialized casino floors which offer casino games, such as slot machines, table games, poker games, etc. Sports Betting and Live Sports Betting have been made legal as well. Alongside horse betting at five of the local racetracks and 37+ licensed off-track betting venues. The Illinois Lottery is legally selling lottery tickets, scratchcards, and draw games. Charitable gambling in the form of bingo games is something gambling fans can participate in to support local causes.
When it comes to online gambling, however, the Illinois inshore market stays illegal and unregulated. Despite that, online gamblers can gamble on offshore sites without facing legal repercussions and can place bets on all types of online casino games offered. The only forms of legal online gambling are online sports betting and Daily Fantasy Sports. The legal gambling age is 18+ for a lottery, horse betting, pari-mutuel, and bingo, and 21+ for casino games and sports betting. Let’s have a closer look down below at the current Illinois gambling laws and the available gambling activities for Illinois players!

Online Gambling in Illinois

Illinois offers a vast selection of gambling, even though it doesn’t have land-based casinos currently. Illinois is the sixth most populous US state and contains a large, lively gambling market. The country has legal riverboat casinos, racetrack gambling, video lottery terminals, and charitable gambling. Online Gambling in Illinois remains not offered at the moment and is unregulated.
However, there are Illinois online casinos aimed at the Illinois gambling fan base, it’s just that they are offshore sites with a main base outside the state. Players need to know that they won’t face any legal punishments for participating in gambling activities on these sites and can place bets and claim winnings freely! These Illinois casinos are regulated by trustworthy jurisdictions in other US states, such as the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the Michigan Gaming Control Board, and others, as well as the MGA, the Government of Curacao, the UK Gambling Commission, the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, etc.
The venues have met all the required security standards, and obtained licenses and certification to operate legally and provide monitored online gambling. Players are kept safe from any hacker attacks, fraud, or identity theft attempts, with the latest SSL encryptions. All offered casino games and slots are tested regularly for fairness, provide fair RNG and gambling session outcomes based on the chance that can’t be manipulated by third parties. Overall, Illinois gamblers can be assured that the online casinos listed on this page provide high fairness and security!

Illinois Online Casinos

Main article [Illinois Online Casinos]
Internet poker isn’t illegal, nor legal in Illinois. The state hasn’t prepared an online poker or internet casino bill yet, so Illinois poker players play their favorite game at international sites. You won’t go to jail for playing at online casinos in Illinois. It is merely a matter of Illinois not controlling the offshore websites, therefore you want to be sure to find a website you can trust before handing over your hard-earned money. There are many online casinos accepting Illinois players however and we have listed the most popular and secure options for Illinois players.
The residents of the state can choose from several offshore online casinos, from which so far BetRivers Casino, Borgata Casino, and BetMGM Casino have proven to be the most popular. They support specialized casino features for US citizens. Such as platforms natively written in English. And several excepted payment methods directly in USD. Including debit/credit cards. e-wallets, direct bank transfers, and third-party solutions. Most popular being MasterCard, Visa, VIP Preferred, Discover, PayNearMe, PayPal, Play+, Skrill, and American Express.
The game collection on Illinois online sites is vast, covering everything from slot machines, table games, video poker, bingo games, Slingo games, live casino games, virtual sports games, and enriched Sportsbooks. Including Progressive Jackpot games, Megaways slots, and Bonus Buy slots. With intriguing gameplay, stunning graphics, and rewarding bonus features. All from top developers like NetEnt, Evolution Gaming, Microgaming, Ainsworth, IGT, WMS, Ezugi, Wazdan, High 5 Games, Konami, and more.
Illinois online casinos also come with generous welcome packages for newly registered players, No Deposit Bonuses, Reload Bonuses, Sports Betting Bonuses, High Roller Bonuses, No Wagering Bonuses, Casino Tournaments, Free Spins bundles, and Live Casino Bonuses. Borgata’s 1st deposit bonus is a welcome pack of 100% up to $1,000, while at BetMGM you can enjoy a smashing No Deposit Bonus of $25 available just for making a registration on their site.

Illinois Sports Betting

Main article [Illinois Sports Betting]
Sports betting in Illinois has been officially made legal since June 2019, when a huge debate was held over whether the laws shall be changed or not. The final approval was signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker the same year on June 28th. Currently, citizens are allowed to legally place sports bets at casinos, racetracks, off-track betting parlors, venues that house professional sports in Illinois, and at online Sportsbooks.
The available Illinois Sportsbook online includes worldwide popular sports betting events and live sports betting events. Covering all kinds of popular matches, teams, and players. And a huge selection of sports available, including football, basketball, boxing, MMA, volleyball, cycling, Formula 1, soccer, tennis, golf, motor racing, horse racing, Olimpic sports, rugby, darts, and much more. As well as the newest buzz on the market e-sports, like CS:GO, League, Overwatch, Dota 2, Starcraft, Call of Duty, and Fortnite. The most popular sports matches you will find are Copa American, UEFA Super Cup, WNBA, MLB, NBA, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Additional features included are HD live streams, constantly updated results as the gameplay unfolds, betting history, match statistics, and side bets. As well as smashing Sports Betting Bonuses and Sports Tournaments.
When it comes to virtual sports games, they are also available to bet on. They stand out with almost instant match results and realistic 3D animations and atmosphere, with the raging crowd in the backdrop, and 3D illustration of your favorite teams and players. The most popular providers of virtual sports games available are Playtech, 1×2 Gaming, Leap Gaming, and Kiron. And you can find anything from Virtual Greyhounds, Virtual Europe League, Virtual NBA, Virtual Horse Racing, Virtual Motorbikes, to so much more.
The best Sportsbooks are available at BetMGM Casino which also offers a 1st deposit bonus for sports bets of Risk-Free First Bet up to $600 plus tons of Sports Tournaments with huge prize pools, while BetRivers welcomes you with the hottest live sports betting events!

Illinois Land Based Casinos

Illinois has a total of nine riverboat casinos. Neighboring Indiana passed legislation to permit its own riverboat casinos to move inland into casinos that are Cuban, which allow for more gambling space, conference halls, live concert venues, along other attractions. Because of this, Illinois may allow land-based casinos in the not too distant future as well. Currently, in Illinois, the casino’s list includes Argosy Casino Alton, Casino Queen, Grand Victoria Casino Elgin, Harrah’s Joliet, Harrah’s Metropolis, Hollywood Casino – Aurora, Hollywood Casino Joliet, Jumer’s Casino & Hotel, Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino, and Rivers Casino – Des Plaines. As of location, most casinos are near Chicago, two casinos are situated towards the center of the state, and three casinos are in the Southern part of Illinois. Rivers Casino has the online casino version BetRivers Casino, so if you like to gamble online instead of visiting the resort, check it out!
Visitors can stay at the resort’s hotels in a variety of luxurious suites and rooms, offering extra comfort, stylish and elegant room designs, gorgeous views, and many pers and extras. For dining, there are plenty of restaurants with menus from famous chefs, offering divine dishes, authentic cuisines, and delicious foods. There are also plenty of bars and cocktail bars where you can grab a drink, craft-made beer, and more. For entertainment, you can visit golf amenities, spas, steam rooms, comedy shows, concert halls, and more. We personally recommend the Cross Street Grill at Grand Victoria, where you can taste the best burgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches, and trying the Mian at Rivers Casino for authentic Asian cuisine. The casino floors at the Illinois riverboat casinos are stunning. Offering everything from rooms filled with the newest slots machines, table rooms, poker rooms, and Sportsbetting floors with huge TV sets, bars for drinks, comfortable seatings, and high stakes tables.

Illinois Poker

Main article [Illinois Poker]
Illinois gamblers get to enjoy 14+ specialized poker rooms at the state’s land-based and riverboat casinos and online poker games at offshore casino sites. Some of the land-based casinos with outstanding poker rooms are Hollywood Casino Aurora Poker Room which hands out a Bad Beat Jackpot and hosts Weekly Poker Tournaments, and the Harrah’s Joliet Video Poker floor home to Ultimate X Bonus Streak Poker, and Super Draw 6 Card Poker.
Offshore online casinos provide collections of table poker games, video poker, and live dealer poker sessions. Working with top poker games providers, Evolution Gaming, Ezugi, NetEnt, Playtech, and others. They have tables with different wager limits fitted to player’s needs, including high stake tables. With elegant designs, authentic elements, and realistic 3D animations. The table games vary from classic poker gameplay to innovative versions of poker with additional side bets and slight touch to the rules. Some of the hottest table poker titles are Casino Hold’em, Mississippi Stud, Texas Hold’em, Pai Gow Poker, and Four Card Poker While the video poker games stand out with American Poker V, All American Poker, American Poker Gold, Jacks or Better, and Ten Play Draw Poker.
The live poker games have the most outstanding and realistic live poker gameplay. They are streamed in high quality from specially designed for US players casino studios, using 4k cameras and 5 different angles to give you a full view of the gameplay. The live dealers speak English natively. Some of the top live poker titles are Ultimate Texas Hold’em, 2 Hand Casino Hold’em, Caribbean Stud Poker, and Three Card Poker.
The hottest online poker games are available BetMGM Casino where you can as well participate in numerous Poker Tournaments. Such as the Daily $10K Poker Tournament, Sunday $30,000 Poker Tournament, and the most rewarding of all Invitational Freeroll Tournament with a prize pool of $40,000. Smashing poker games can also be played at BetRivers Casino, Party Casino, and Borgata Casino.

Illinois Bingo

Main article [Illinois Bingo]
Bingo is legally available within Illinois borders, as long as the casinos and organizations holding bingo games have obtained a Bingo License from the IDOR. It is illegal to supply bingo facilities and bingo equipment to anyone without an Illinois Bingo License, and if an organization operates bingo events without one will be held responsible under the violation of the Illinois Criminal Code related to gambling (720 ILCS 5/28-1 et seq.).
Online bingo can be played at offshore Illinois online casinos. Players can find tons of bingo games with a great variety of gameplay, such as 30-Ball Bingo, 52-Ball Bingo, 90-Ball Bingo, Bingo Billions, Bingo Blast, Coconut Island Bingo, Spin the Wheel Bingo, Cash Cubes Bingo, Turbo Gold, Mayan Bingo, and Penny Bingo. They have stunning graphics, HD quality, and divine designs, which will make your gameplay quite enjoyable. There are also huge collections of Slingo games, which are a combination between bingo-styled gameplay and slots. Most of them have the typical bingo layout combined with a single slots row. Basically, you get to play a little bit of both at the same time, which makes these Slingo games perfect for players who wish to spice things up.
The Slingo Games variety includes titles like Slingo Advance, Slingo Reel Extreme, Slingo Carnival, Slingo Reaches, and Slingo Berzerk. But there are also even more innovative Slingo games that are based on popular slot machines and game shows, such as Monopoly Slingo, Slingo Starburst, Deal or No Deal Slingo. Other innovative styled games combining scratchcards gameplay are Medusa Scratch, Irish Eyes 2 Scratch, and Merlin’s Millions Scratch. And for keno, you can find Ancient Thunder Keno and Praire Thunder Keno.

Illinois Lottery

On July 1, 1974, state legislators established the Illinois State Lottery to fund local schools. The legalization was sponsored by E.J. “Zeke” Giorgi (D-Rockford), also known in Illinois as the ‘Father of the Illinois State Lottery’. The end result was a success up to now, together with the lottery earning over $2.8 billion annually in the past few decades. The operator of the lottery is Camelot Illinois, and the lottery regulations are handled by the Illinois Lottery Control Board. Players must be 18+ years of age to participate in lottery drawings. Their official site also comes with a specialized Lottery Android and iOS app from which you can play draw games from your phone, and scan and draw instant tickets.
The Illinois State Lottery proceeds to rank within the top 10 in relation to earnings. More than 60 percent of earnings came from scratch-offs, whereas the remainder comes in Pick 3, Pick 4, Super Huge, and Powerball tickets.2006 saw the first “specialty instant games” launched; these games benefit a particular cause like Illinois Veterans, the fight against breast cancer, MS research, and assistance for people living with HIV-Aids. In 2010, the Lottery began contributing to the Capitol Projects Fund, which helps build and renovate state roads and bridges.
Illinois Lottery tickets are available for 6 lottery games, and those are the Lucky Day Lotto, Pick Plus Fireball 3, Pick Plus Fireball 4, Lotto Extra Shot, Mega Millions, and Power Ball Power Play. The largest prize to be registered in Illinois Lottery history is estimated for a winning ticket of $393 million in Mega Millions on August 11th, 2017, to the lucky Patricia Busking. While the largest instant game $20,800,000 prize was won on July 9th, 2013, by a 27-year-old Chicago man who purchased a 20×20 instant game at a local grocery store. The Illinois Lottery offers fun scratch-offs with big bucks wins, one of the hottest being the $75,000 Crossword, $200,000 Bingo Tripler, $2,000,000 Extreme Cash, and the tremendous $5,000,000 Million $$ Match. Fast-Play Draw Games with a variety of prize levels are Illinois Jackpot, Hot Dice, and Quick Spot.

Illinois Charitable/House-Based Gambling

The National Center for Charitable Statistic stated Illinois had over 61,000 nonprofit associations as of 2012. Illinois has fewer bingo halls than you might anticipate though since so many different kinds of charitable gaming exist. A poker run is an occasion where individuals on bikes, motorcycles, or other vehicles travel to 5 or more places (usually in restaurants or bars ) and draw playing cards from a deck. The winner is the participant in the conclusion of the run who has the best hand. Poker runs are a favorite way for charitable organizations to raise capital.
Charitable Gaming within Illinois is officially considered legal with the acceptance of the Illinois Charitable Games Act [230 ILCS 30/1 et seq.], which allowed approved charitable organizations to conduct certain types of gaming for non-profit purposes. The charitable games, which can be held are bingo, pull-tabs, raffles, 5-card stud poker, and Texas hold’em poker. Usually, most US states with legal charitable gambling don’t allow charitable poker events, so we can say that Illinois is quite liberal in that regard. The organizations that wish to run gambling for charitable purposes need to have a license from the state regulators and have to check certain requirements. Organizations eligible for this charitable activity are only religious, educational, veterans, fraternal, charitable, or labor groups. They need to work without any profit for their members and must pay a federal tax. Overall, Illinois citizens can place bets on these charitable games and support plenty of local causes, and be ensured the income goes to charity!

Illinois Daily Fantasy Sports

In 2015, Attorney General Lisa Madigan made a statement that DFS are illegal. This prompted a suit by DraftKings and FanDuel, which prompted Lisa Madigan to countersue. Paradoxically, DraftKings and FanDuel now need both suits dropped, since Lisa Madigan (whose office ends in January 2019) stated her ruling didn’t possess the force of legislation. There has been some hope within citizens that Daily Fantasy Sports’ legality status may change for the better. Especially considering that sports betting has been allowed by the law since June 2019. But for now, you can’t bet on your local college football or basketball teams or participate in any DFS events and matches by betting, only by watching. We at CasinoDaddy.com will keep you updated if the situation changes and DFS gambling laws in Illinois change, as we update our content constantly. So stay tuned! Up until then, check the best Illinois Sportsbooks at BetMGM or SugarHouse Casino!

Illinois Social Gaming and Gambling

Social gambling is permitted in Illinois, however, no particular law exists to govern these gambling activities. Back in March 2016, Illinois District Judge Edmond Chang chucked a class action lawsuit by tens of thousands of Illinois social players against Doubledown Interactive, the societal casino branch of International Game Technology (IGT).
The plaintiffs sought to utilize the Illinois Reduction Recovery Act (ILRA) to assert they have lost between $50 to $1000 in gaming with real cash on Doubledown Casino and consequently ought to be reimbursed. Judge Chang said state law required the two sides to risk a thing of value to get a match to be considered betting. He ruled that an individual can’t”shed” chips they purchased since there isn’t any way to be substituted for the digital chips. Additionally, Doubledown’s “risking possible future earnings isn’t the exact same matter” as risking actual money, so social casino games aren’t a kind of betting.
All in all, playing any game of chance or skill for money or another thing of value, possessing or owning a book or instrument used to keep track of bets and wagers, and owning gambling equipment is illegal by the state’s law. You are not allowed to make social gatherings with your friends, neighbors, co-workers, or family members for social gambling purposes. And to organize any kind of social gambling nights and events. If Illinois citizens wish to gamble in a more social environment, they are welcomed to visit the state’s land-based and riverboat casinos, which offer human contact with other players, the dealers, and the staff, and gambling on all kinds of casino games. And hey, why not go with a friend and make a vacation at the stunning riverboat casino resorts in Illinois, while enjoying comfortable hotels, massive casino floors, and plenty of other forms of entertainment and special treatments!

Illinois Gambling Legislation

Illinois permits and regulates several kinds of gambling. The Illinois State Lottery is legal and the country is part of the Mega Millions and Powerball multi-state lottery institution. Illinois also has pari-mutuel wagering on horse races in six racetracks and 23 off-track gaming centers. Riverboat gambling is permitted. Illinois has nine riverboat casinos, and although the legislature has discussed approving land-based casinos previously, nothing is currently pending. The country has charitable bingo for nonprofit associations.
The gambling history of the state dates back to the 1800s when gambling in every form was illegal by law, and the state had issues with numerous unlicensed riverboat casinos. The first step to kick-start the industry was made in the 1920s with the legalization of horse betting tracks. On July 1, 1974, Illinois with the signature of E.J. “Zeke” Giorgi (D-Rockford), legalized the state’s Lottery. Back in 1990, with the acceptance of the Riverboat Gambling Act, Illinois opened its first riverboat casino in Alton. In 1999, casinos were allowed to be permanently docked. Up until now, DFS gambling is illegal, with a statement from 2015 by Attorney General Lisa Madigan. While when it comes to online gambling, it’s not legalized and can currently be played at offshore sites.