Illinois (IL)

Many US states have yet to legalize and regulate online sports betting. Many more have legislation in place but have offered exclusivity to only one operator, often a state-run provider.

However, in Illinois, there’s a vast selection of betting apps available, and the market is now completely open to competition between them. This consumer-friendly market has been true since June 28, 2019, when Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the decisive betting bill.

Online Sports Betting in Illinois

As of this writing, there are no less than six options in Illinois for legal in-state sports betting. Currently, players must register in person to activate an account on an IL online sports betting app or website. However, this restriction has already been voted out and will no longer be in effect after March 5, 2022. After that date, players will be able to sign up online in other states.

Despite being legal since 2019, Player made the first online sports bet at the (already long-operating) Rivers Casino on March 9, 2020. Riverboat casinos have been legal in the state since the year 1990. The first sportsbook opened for business in March 2020, and the first online betting app went online in June of that same year.

In fact, up until a year and a half ago, there was no bill whatsoever regulating online gambling within the state. The Illinois DA had previously considered that even Daily Fantasy Sports providers violated state laws in 2015.

However, a federal ruling in 2020 overrode the DA's previous decision. The federal government determined that Daily Fantasy Sports was skill-based and therefore could not be considered a game of chance.

Sports Betting Legislation in IL

The same law allowing online sports betting registration in Illinois is officially known as Executive Order 2020-41. The original bill legalizing is State Bill 690. The bill itself deals with a massive array of issues; sports betting is only one of them. The complete statement is almost 1000 pages long.

For more than one reason, March 5, 2022, is an important date in IL, and this was the day when a built-in "waiting period" in State Bill 690 automatically passed. What this means at the practical level is that providers who weren't admitted to the first "round" of legalization will now get their chance to enter the Illinois market.

Technically, two of the seven currently active providers weren't supposed to have been able to launch so soon. However, these two, DraftKings at first and later FanDuel (both behemoths of the industry), managed to negotiate an early entry with the state government.

Restrictions

The legislation involved in State Bill 690 is, as can be imagined, quite complex and has many nuances. However, we will sum it up with a few relevant facts. The legal age in Illinois for sports betting is 21.

Betting on college sports is partly allowed, as long as it doesn't involve teams within the state. This restriction does not apply to retail locations, only to online sports betting. However, last year, IL made efforts to legalize betting on in-state college sports as House Bill 3136 passed in both the House and Senate. This new betting bill is waiting for governor J. B. Pritzker's signature.

Online-only platforms and online registration will be allowed as of March 5, 2022. By law, all sports betting platforms require self-exclusion and regulation options.

Licensing and Taxes

State Bill 690 also implements a very high pricing structure for online providers. That is to say, all this openness and freedom doesn't come cheaply. Licensing fees start at $3 million, and a professional venue wanting a license will have to shell out $10 million. And online-only operators will have to pay $20 million to get started.

Above and beyond this, the State of Illinois will tax revenues a 15 percent and other applicable taxes. Current law allows for up to 23 "master licenses" (online and retail) and three online-only licenses.

How profitable has sports betting been for Illinois?

Ever since the first online bet was made in Illinois on June 18, 2020, the state has accumulated over $18 billion dollars in handle. Here we'll take a look at their monthly numbers in terms of handle, revenue, and tax income in the state.

• September 2023:

  • Sports betting handle: $1.08bm

  • Revenue: $86.2m

  • Tax income for the state: $12.9m

  • Top Three Sportsbooks in the State

    • 1) DraftKings (Handle: $402.9m, Revenue: $30.5m)

    • 2) FanDuel (Handle: $348.6m, Revenue: $32.4m)

    • 3) BetRivers (Handle: $83m, Revenue: $6.9m)

• August 2023: Handle: $676.06m, Revenue: $58.8m, Tax Income: $7.54m

• July 2023: Handle: $611.3m, Revenue: $61.8m, Tax Income: $9.68m

• June 2023: Handle: $665.7m, Revenue: $52.2m, Tax Income: $8.86m

• May 2023: Handle: $821.7m, Revenue: $89m, Tax Income: $13.4m

• April 2023: Handle: $895.5m, Revenue: $81.3m, Tax Income: $14.4m

• March 2023: Handle: $1.07b, Revenue: $107.4m, Tax Income: $15.6m

• February 2023: Handle: $875.3m, Revenue: $63.2m, Tax Income: $10.9m

• January 2023: Handle: $1.07b, Revenue: $96m, Tax Income: $15.4m

2022

• December 2022: Handle: $1.02b, Revenue: $82.4m, Tax Income: $13.3m

• November 2022: Handle: $1.02b, Revenue: $96.9m, Tax Income: $15.7m

• October 2022: Handle: $1.02b, Revenue: $102m, Tax Income: $16.4m

• September 2022: Handle: $831.8m, Revenue: $78.4m, Tax Income: $12.6m

• August 2022: Handle: $564.6m, Revenue: $47.7m, Tax Income: $7.7m

• July 2022: Handle: $516.4m, Revenue: $46m, Tax Income: $7.4m

• June 2022: Handle: $628.4m, Revenue: $40.8m, Tax Income: $6.6m

• May 2022: Handle: $764.5m, Revenue: $67.4m, Tax Income: $10.9m

• April 2022: Handle: $839.3m, Revenue: $70.4m, Tax Income: $11.3m

• March 2022: Handle: $971.2m, Revenue: $60.6m, Tax Income: $9.8m

• February 2022: Handle: $679.3m, Revenue: $35.6m, Tax Income: $5.7m

• January 2022: Handle: $867.5m, Revenue: $59.3m, Tax Income: $10.6m

What is legal to bet on in IL?

There is a ban on online betting on Illinois college-level sports teams, which is currently active. Aside from that, no operational restrictions on what sports are open for betting. This means it's entirely up to providers to implement what they wish. An arrangement includes in-play and other kinds of live betting; they are all perfectly legal in IL.

Daily fantasy sports, or DFS, are also options for people betting in that state. Horse racing is also legal and has been legal in IL since before the new legislation came into effect.

Esports is in a bit of a gray area legally right now, not being specifically mentioned in State Bill 690 either way. This leaves things up to the state's Gaming Board (IGB). In other words, esports is available on a case-by-case basis at the time of this writing. In practice, select esports events are available for betting on certain sports betting apps.

Gambling news and updates from Illinois

• October 27, 2023: Betway Sportsbook officially withdrew their application for an online-only license to operate in the state. No real details on the reasoning for their withdrawal have been announced.

• September 29, 2023: Circa Sportsbook is now live in both retail and mobile in the state of Illinois.

• July 27, 2023: The state gaming board has approved the Hard Rock Sportsbook for a mobile and retail license in the state while also approving BetWay for a retail-only license.

• June 15, 2023: Full House Resorts has officially received a sports wagering license in the state of Illinois, meaning their betting partner Circa Sportsbook is likely very close to officially entering the market.

• March 31, 2023: The bill under the name SB 1508 has passed through the Senate floor, and the purpose of the bill is to help make a change to the sports betting problem identified by the state.

• February 12, 2023: With the sports betting revenue numbers for January, the state's sports betting handle exceeded a billion dollars for the fourth month in a row.

• September 27, 2022: The Hard Rock Sportsbook is applying for a sports betting license in the state as they prepare for the building of the Rockford Casino.

How do mobile sportsbook apps work in Illinois?

As previously mentioned in this article, Illinois mobile betting all started with BetRivers, the app launched by the Rivers Casino. This app started as an online companion to their retail sportsbook, located physically at the Rivers Casinos. The next entry into the market was DraftKings, followed by FanDuel. Both DraftKings and FanDuel started operations in August of 2020.

They were later forced to pair with brick and mortar casinos as part of their agreement with the state authorities. DraftKings is now affiliated in Illinois with Casino Queen and FanDuel with the Fairmount Park casino.

William Hill Casino was the next entry into the state's online sportsbook milieu in September 2020. The iconic Las Vegas-based Caesars company has since bought it out. As a result, it has been rebranded and is now known as Caesars Sportsbook. This was closely followed by PointsBet, an app launched by the Hawthorne Race Course.

After this came the storied Barstool Sportsbook app. Barstool already had not one but three retail locations statewide: the Hollywood Casino in Joliet, the Argosy Casino in Alton, and the Hollywood Casino in Aurora. Finally, Bally's and BetMGM are on the cusp of launching their online sportsbooks and are expected to be active very soon.

Getting started - Step-by-step

To get started with IL sports betting, the process isn't any different from app to app, and it's much the same as it would be in any other state within the US. Here, we break it down for you into five easy steps:

1. Sign up: Pick a good username that will be memorable and unique as a player.

2. Download the preferred sports betting app: Once again, within Illinois, you have the choice of six different authorized apps to download. Two more are soon to be available as well.

3. Make a deposit — fund your account: Detailed options for the player to do this are listed below, along with exactly how each option works.

4. Claim offered bonuses / free bets:

    These offers will change over time. They will also be different depending on which app you are using at the time. Often, they can be wildly different.

5. Place your bets. Now you are all set to start betting on sports you wish to.

Bonuses and IL sports betting offers

Different gambling-related promotions such as bonuses, as mentioned, are constantly changing. However, here are some current examples available in Illinois. Right now, DraftKings offers a matching first deposit bonus of up to $1000, plus a $50 free bet. FanDuel does things differently, offering up to $100 in free bonus credits and a risk-free bet of up to $1000.

PointsBet offers only risk-free bets, but two, up to $1000 each. BetRivers provides a 100 percent matching deposit offer, giving players up to $250 in bonus money, depending on their first deposit.

Payment methods for depositing

Players have various options to make that first deposit in an Illinois online sportsbook. ACH deposits are available, as well as online banking. Some online sportsbooks have their prepaid debit cards as well.

For e-wallets, PayPal and Skrill are both options. PayNearMe is also available for many online sportsbooks, allowing players to make payments at 7-Elevens and CVS locations. Finally, credit and debit cards are widely available, using the Visa and Mastercard brands.

In addition, cash deposits are available at the cages of a casino's brick-and-mortar location.

Trusted Illinois sports betting mobile apps in 2023

Right now, there are the following legal mobile betting apps available to sports bettors in the state of Illinois. They are as follows:

• BetRivers, launched on June 18, 2020, by the Rivers Casino. This is the first app, but it's a proprietary one. As such, it has a few rough spots they are still working out.

• DraftKings launched on August 5, 2020, and is now affiliated with Casino Queen. DraftKings is the most well-known provider in this list, and they operate in various nations, although they are based in the USA.

• Barstool Sportsbook is affiliated with three different brick-and-mortar casinos in Illinois. They are also US-based, operated exclusively in US territory, and well-known.

• Caesars Sportsbook, originally William Hill. This app, since Caesars bought it out, has its history and, as such, is fleshed out. William Hill was well-known, as well, even before the merger. It came to life on September 15, 2020.

• FanDuel, another storied name in the online gaming industry, was activated on August 24, 2020.

• PointsBet, the online sportsbook app affiliated with the Hawthorne Race Course, started on September 12, 2020.

Illinois Sports betting at casinos

There is, of course, also ample opportunity for in-person sports betting throughout the state of Illinois. In fact, as of this writing, there are nine such locations. The Rivers Casino Sportsbook, previously mentioned, is one option. Also, the Casino Queen now has a sportsbook due to its partnership with DraftKings.

Likewise, FanDuel offers sportsbook services at the Par-A-Dice casino and the FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing location, once known as Fairmount Park.

Caesars offers an in-person sportsbook at the Grand Victoria, and the Barstool sportsbook has the Hollywood Casino locations at Aurora and Joliet. As well, Barstool operates out of the Argosy Casino at Alton.