Online Gambling in Illinois - Casino & Sports Betting

Despite the fact that a lot of land-based gambling is authorized in Illinois, online casinos are still illegal in the Prairie State. However, Online Sportsbooks have started operating on desktop and mobile devices. In this guide, you will learn about where and what you can legally gamble in Illinois. Illinois sports betting is legal and live online, as of March 5, 2022, bettors don’t need to complete online registration in-person at a retail casino anymore. Once that date passes, you will be able to sign up for mobile sports betting as long as you are located within state lines. With that being said, here is everything you need to know about sports betting in Illinois.

The Legal age to start gambling in Illinois is 21. It is allowed to bet on the lottery and horse races if you are 18.

Illinois has adopted one of the most comprehensive regulatory frameworks for gambling in the United States. The state permits sports betting, retail casino gaming, horse racing, lottery participation, and charitable gaming. All these activities are supervised by the Illinois Gaming Board and associated state regulatory bodies. However, online casino gaming has not yet been legalized.

Online Casinos

Online casino gaming is currently not authorized in Illinois. While several bills have been introduced in the General Assembly to legalize online poker and iGaming platforms, none have passed into law as of 2025. Therefore, no operators are legally permitted to offer online slots, table games, or poker to Illinois residents.

• Status: Illegal
• Date of Authorization: N/A
• Law: N/A
• Official Link: N/A
  

Online Sports Betting

Online sports betting was legalized in Illinois through the Sports Wagering Act, passed as part of the larger gaming expansion bill on June 28, 2019. Under this act, licensed casinos, racetracks, and sports venues are permitted to offer retail and mobile sports wagering. The first legal bets were placed on March 9, 2020, and remote registration for mobile apps was fully enabled in 2021.

• Status: Legal
• Date of Authorization: June 28, 2019
• Law: Sports Wagering Act (230 ILCS 45)
• Official Link:
  https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=3996&ChapterID=35
  

Physical Casinos

Casino gambling in Illinois is authorized under the Illinois Gambling Act, originally enacted to permit riverboat casinos in the early 1990s. The law was significantly expanded in 2019 with the passage of Public Act 101-31, allowing up to six new land-based casinos and the conversion of riverboats into permanent land-based facilities.

• Status: Legal
• Date of Authorization: 1990 (initial law), expanded June 28, 2019
• Law: Illinois Gambling Act (230 ILCS 10)
• Official Link:
  https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=453&ChapterID=5
  

Horse Racing

Horse racing and pari-mutuel betting have been legal in Illinois since the passage of the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975. The act governs the licensing of racetracks, off-track betting parlors (OTBs), and simulcast wagering. It also allows certain tracks to add casino-style games under the 2019 gaming expansion law.

• Status: Legal
• Date of Authorization: 1975
• Law: Horse Racing Act of 1975 (230 ILCS 5)
• Official Link:
  https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1398&ChapterID=25
  

Lottery

The Illinois Lottery was created by legislative act in 1974 and has offered instant tickets and draw games since then. The law authorizes the sale of lottery products in retail stores and online, with revenues supporting the state’s Common School Fund, among others.

• Status: Legal
• Date of Authorization: 1974
• Law: Illinois Lottery Law (20 ILCS 1605)
• Official Link:
  https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=100&ChapterID=2
  

Charitable Gaming (Bingo, Raffles, Pull-Tabs, Jar Games)

Charitable gaming is legal in Illinois and regulated through several state statutes. The Bingo License and Tax Act permits licensed nonprofit organizations to conduct bingo games. The Charitable Games Act allows other types of fundraising events like casino nights and poker tournaments. Both laws are administered by the Illinois Department of Revenue.

• Status: Legal
• Date of Authorization:
  
  • Bingo: 1971 (updated 2014)
  • Charitable Games: 1986 (updated 2014)
    
• Laws:
  
  • Bingo License and Tax Act (230 ILCS 25)
  • Charitable Games Act (230 ILCS 30)
    
• Official Links:
  
  • https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1402&ChapterID=2
  • https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1403&ChapterID=25
    

Overall Comment

Illinois has one of the most expansive and diversified gambling legal frameworks in the U.S., with well-regulated access to sports betting, casino gaming, racing, lottery, and charitable games. However, online casino gaming remains the one major vertical not yet authorized under state law.

Online Casino in Illinois

No, currently, online casinos are not legal in the state of Illinois. There is no law, regulation, or licensing currently available for online casinos in the state. This means that you cannot gamble on online slots, online blackjack, live roulette, and other casino games from your computer or mobile device in the state.

Sports Betting in Illinois

Sports betting has been legalized in Illinois since June 2019, however you can’t bet on local College Basketball or Football teams.
It seems that this is about to change as Senate and House passed HB3136. This bill will allow in-person wagering for all Illinois College Teams.
Since March 5, Illinois do not require sports bettors in-person registration for Online Sports Betting. Governor Pritzker elected not to renew an executive order in April 2021 that had temporarily suspended the requirement on a monthly basis throughout the pandemic. The governor had previously allowed the order to expire in July 2020, before reinstating it in late August and renewing it each month since.