Illinois Sports Betting Sites

Betrivers launched in June 2020 as the first live sportsbook online in Illinois and has since been joined by Pointsbet, Draftkings, Fanduel and William Hill

Illinois allowed online sports wagering from June 2019, but it took a full 12 months before everything was in place for BetRivers to go live. There are several agreements in place for more sports betting sites to follow shortly and we could see up to 16 legal sportsbooks live in Illinois eventually.  

No in-person visit is required to verify accounts in Illinois from 2021. The full account opening process and initial deposit can be completed online, meaning you can select an offer from this page right now and complete the signup steps to grab a welcome offer.

Launch Dates

Here is the timeline for when each of the current mobile betting sites in the sports betting industry in Illinois went live

How Many Sites Will There be?

The state's commercial casinos and racetracks can apply for licenses and will issue three further online-only sports betting licenses. 

Current regulation allows for 16 legal sports betting sites to operate in Illinois. This will be formed of one license for each land-based casino or racetrack and three online-only licenses. 

While online sports betting in Illinois was legal from June 2019, it wasn't until June 2020 that Betrivers went live and took the first mobile sports bets in the state.  

However, the rules are a bit more complicated than in other states. Casinos, racetracks, and stadiums which become licensed will be allowed to operate mobile apps just under their brand names. For Casinos and Racetracks, this will be statewide, but stadiums can expect restrictions to be within five blocks of their grounds. 

Also, there will be three online-only licenses up for grabs for $20m each. These are likely to be popular, though as it has been reported that 92% of Illinois wagering is taking place online.

Online-only operators will be excluded for the first 18 months also. The land-based operations will get a head start, but by the start of 2021, there should be an opportunity for competitive markets to form where customers can open online betting sites anywhere within the state boundaries. In-person registration has been dropped so you can go ahead and register via links on this page right now. 

With more than $52m changing hands during Jul 2020, Early signs are that Illinois sports betting will flourish.

Partnerships

It is a requirement for all online sportsbook apps to be partnered with a brick-and-mortar casino in the state; here are the relationships as they stand

Barstool entered with Hollywood Casino Joliet and Hollywood Casino Aurora and the Argosy Casino Alton. 

Sports betting sites that are legal in Illinois are those awarded a license to accept online wagers on sporting events. It is possible to use offshore sportsbooks without a license. Still, legally they are not allowed to accept Illinois players, and there is no security for you regarding your deposited funds to winnings.

Only legally licensed sportsbooks appear on this page, so you can hit a link and sign up online with full confidence in placing your sports wagers, knowing they operate within Illinois sports betting law.

Sites We Have Reviewed

These sports betting sites currently live in Illinois. Our expert team of sportsbook users has registered accounts and taken a look at every aspect of what is on offer for mobile wagering.

Hit a sportsbook name to read the full review for each sportsbook and discover the current promo code and welcome offer.

Illinois Sportsbook Reviews Coming Soon

The following sportsbooks are live for customers in Illinois but we have yet to give them a full review. As and when we do, we will provide a link for more information. 

It is not a reflection on the sportsbook's quality, but we encourage you to consider those we have reviewed above as the first choice for your online wagering. Fanduel has added real sport to their fantasy sports offering now.

We believe most big multi-state players will have legal sportsbooks in Illinois through partnerships with retail casino sportsbooks or through the extra three licenses Illinois is issuing for online-only operators. This allows big players who miss out on relationships with land-based casinos to get still involved. 

Expect Penn National Gaming to get involved with some partnerships

While Hawthorne Race Course has already launched with Pointsbet, Fairmount Park and Arlington Park are yet to form agreements.

As of January 2021, in-person visits to brick-and-mortar casinos are no longer a requirement to register and verify an account. You will be able to complete online registration and be able to manage all deposits and withdrawals the same way.

Registering for an online betting account in IL is as simple as providing personal details and setting up security. Let's take you through the steps. You may be able to find a deposit match bonus to get you going.

You do not have to be resident of the state of Illinois to have an online betting account, but you will have to be within state boundaries and geolocation tracking on your mobile to prove that you are when registering, funding, or making wagers

4 Simple Steps to Register Online

1. Hit a SEE OFFER button on the betting site of your choice below
2. Enter your personal details, Name Age, address Etc
3. Set up security info - password etc
4. Make your first deposit

That's it, you are registered, funded, and ready to place your first online wagers.

The sports betting handle in Illinois has been hovering ever-so tantalizingly close to the $1b mark for many months through 2022, exceeding $900 on four occasions (March, October, November and December)< falling short of the magic billion by just $10 in the final month of the year.

The hope of the Superbowl in 2023 pushing the state through that figure are there, and the state has gained over $50m in taxes in the final quarter of the year

Betting Tax Rates

The state has decided that the betting tax revenue allocation will at least in part go towards infrastructure projects, including recreational facilities and schools

Land-based: 15-17% on sports betting revenue
Online: 15% on sports betting revenue

Most Popular Sportsbook by Handle

One way of looking at which is the most popular online sportsbook in Illinois is to consider the total handle. BetRivers got the jump on all the other sportsbooks starting online in June 2020, but DraftKings and Fanduel had usurped the total handle for 2020 by the end of the year every month.

How did DraftKings and FanDuel get so big so quickly in IL?

The huge advantage DraftKings and Fanduel has was an existing daily fantasy sports customer base which would have been very easy to convert to sportsbook players, along with national brand recognition

Popular sports betting brands

1. BetRivers Sportsbook 
2. DraftKings Sportsbook
3. Fanduel Sportsbook

There is a wide range of sports and types of bet to choose from with online sportsbook apps in the state. This is a shortlist, there are many more available including major college sports with competitive betting markets.

Wagering on most major sports is allowed with restrictions on college sports and minor league events. [see below]

Illinois and more specifically Chicago are well represented in the professional sports leagues with the Cubs and White Sox representing the state in MLB, Chicago Bulls in MBA, Chicago Bears in the NFL. Chicago Fire are in the MLS and Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL.

According to our research, Chicago is the third most successful sporting city across the whole of the USA.

You'll be able to find teasers and be able to create parlays to combine the odds for big wins if your predictions are good.

Collegiate Betting

College teams betting is HUGE! How Huge? Well, more money will be wagered on the college games at March Madness than is on the Superbowl each year!! That HUGE!

Double-check college sports betting availability. Illinois restricts the ability to bet in In-State collegiate teams

Thankfully the Best Sportsbooks for March Madness betting are listed on this page, so take a look at the offers and select whichever bonus you like the look of.

Look out for our College Football Betting Guide too.

Live Betting

Talking of March Madness, my favorite sport for Live betting is basketball. The speed and ebb and flow of the action make watching and betting at the same time both exciting and throws up a lot of opportunities to find bets you might be able to find before the tip-off.

Live betting is legal, popular, and readily available at most online sportsbooks in Illinois. So to get in the thick of the action find the Best Sportsbook for Live Betting. And find out the Types of wagers you can make this way

Online Horse Race Betting

Most online sportsbooks do not offer horse racing betting, but there are a couple of options for racebooks.

1. BetAmerica Racebook
2. Twinspires

Both cover horse races from both in the US and internationally across Europe Africa and Australiasia

In recent times it has been decreed within sports betting legislation that the in person registration requirement has been dropped, and you can register for a new account online using mobile betting apps. This also includes all account management including deposits and withdrawals being made online too.

Great news and real help in being able to fully manage your online sportsbook account at your own convenience with remote registration.

The even better news is there are a whole host of ways to make deposits and withdrawals to your sports betting accounts with legal sportsbooks. Take a look at these banking options

Credit & Debit Cards

Whilst credit cards are widely accepted we would advise using credit to fund your online gambling, especially if you do not have the funds to make a full repayment within the month. Betting with money you do not have is worse than betting with money you can not afford. Please see our guide to responsible gambling for more information.

Debit cards are a far better option, funds are available instantly in most cases. Withdrawals will often be processed by the sportsbook within 24 hours using this method, but depending on your bank, it could take up to 5 working days to receive your funds back to your physical account.

For quicker withdrawal methods, read on.

eWallet Solutions

E-Wallets for depositing and withdrawing from your mobile betting account include well-known brands such as PayPal, Neteller and Skrill. instant deposits and withdrawals within 24 hours re typical and in most cases, there are no fees to be paid. Double check if you want to make multiple transactions this way, as fees can be introduced if this method is abused.

Prepaid Cards

Quite often sportsbooks and casinos offer their own branded pre paid cards. You can load them up and make deposits and withdrawals with them quickly and be able to access the cash from ATMS. A superb addition to online money management that works seamlessly with most betting sites in Iowa

ACH Wire Transfer

Using a bank transfer can be a convenient way of funding your betting account. Do check for fees however, which may vary by bank, and transactions can sometimes take time to clear on both deposits and withdrawals

PayNearMe

A barcode scanning scheme where you can deposit cash using relevant retailers such as 7-Eleven

Cash 

If you are close to the casino partnered with your online sportsbook you can make deposits directly into your account using cash at the cash cage in the casino. Likewise you be able to withdraw in the same manner.

Minimum Deposit & Maximum Withdrawals

You'll find all sportsbooks will have a minimum deposit requirement, but they are in the main around $10 so not prohibitive.

Also, be aware of when using deposit methods if any negate the qualification of welcome bonuses. Also, check Wagering requirements of any offer.

Being able to make deposits online also negates the necessity of a visit to a physical sportsbook to make a cash deposit.