Legal Illinois Online Casinos

Online casinos are one of the only gambling activities that remain illegal in Illinois. The state allows online sports betting, online lottery, and online horse race betting, making them one of the more accommodating states for online gambling. So online casinos are a promising prospect that could become available before you know it.

A bill to legalize online casinos is showing positive momentum in the House of Representatives, where it is currently in the lower chamber. If it passes and gets approved, we could see the first legal Illinois online casinos launch by 2024.

Can you play online casinos in Illinois?

Online casinos are not yet legal in Illinois, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy online casino games.

Sweepstakes casinos are an alternative to regular online casinos in Illinois. They are not subject to the same legal restrictions because they are technically not gambling. Instead, they are free-to-play casinos that run on virtual currencies. The following are the closer you can get to real money online gambling, with hundreds of slots, table games, and live casino games where you can win real money:

Online casinos and online poker are all that’s left for the Prairie State to become a fully regulated gambling state. Every other popular gambling choice is available here. The 2019 Illinois Gambling Act legalized IL sports betting, but it did much more than that.

It also supported a massive expansion of gambling across the land-based ‘Riverboat’ casinos, Video Lottery Terminals (VLT), and racetracks. DFS has also been legitimized as a non-gambling activity by the ruling of the Illinois Supreme Court in 2020. Sites like PrizePicks are perfectly legal in Illinois.

These legal online casino gaming alternatives are available for all Illinoisans and are all massively entertaining to play while you wait for online Illinois casinos to launch. Although there are offshore online casinos accepting Illinois players, we have not mentioned these as an alternative because we do not recommend them. It’s technically not a crime for players to visit these sites, but there’s no way to verify their legitimacy, and there’s certainly no player protection as you’ll get with state-approved operators. So they’re not worth the risk.

Is Illinois online gambling going live soon?

Expectations are high for Illinois online casinos, with bills currently being deliberated at both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Sen. Cristina Castro filed SB 1656, and Rep. Edgar Gonzalez issued HB 2239 earlier in February 2023. Following the failed attempt to pass the Illinois Internet Gaming Act in 2021, both lawmakers hope for favorable opinions on the discussion given the success of sports betting, which posted over $9.7 billion in betting handle for 2022 – the third largest after New York and New Jersey.

However, significant obstacles exist. Some legislators feel that legalizing online casinos will affect the revenue tax from video gaming terminals (VGTs), nearly $786 million in 2022. And VGT operators are even more strongly opposed to the potential competition. There are also six new casino establishments in the pipeline, including the massive location planned for downtown Chicago, as approved in the 2019 bill. The sentiment is that internet casinos will draw interest away from these establishments.

The bill provides for online casinos to receive gaming licenses within the state and covers slots and other casino-style games. While the Senate version remains stalled in the Committee, the House version is receiving significant support and could get a vote before adjournment. If Illinois online casinos do come to fruition, they’ll be regulated by the Illinois Gaming Board.

Legal IL Online Casinos in September 2023

Sweepstakes casinos in Illinois are the only legal way to play online casino games presently. These casinos are such that you can play without real money wagers, which is why they’re not classified as online gambling. Instead of real cash, you’ll use two virtual currencies: Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. Gold Coins are for standard play, while Sweeps Coins are for promotional play.

They are technically free to play. The many bonuses offered will let you carry forward your gameplay at zero financial cost. There’s the option to buy Gold Coin bundles, but purchases are not necessary if you’re good with the amount of free GC and SC. The real showstopper is that promotional play allows you to redeem real cash prizes in dollars.

Sweepstakes are really sweeping the US because they let you play for free and still win real prizes. And in terms of gaming quality, sweepstakes social casinos like WOW Vegas feature more than 300 games from big-name providers like Pragmatic Play and Betsoft. So they’re just as exciting as any regular online casino.

Pulsz

Many consider this the best sweepstakes casino app in the US. Personal preferences aside, it’s a casino that could very well compete with real-money online casinos in Illinois. Pulsz Casino has more than 400 casino games are available to play here. They include a fantastic range of slots, including classic slots, video slots, progressive jackpots, and Megaways variants. Video poker, blackjack, roulette, and more table games are also present.

A very attractive combo of a sign-up bonus and a first-purchase bonus are offered for new players here. You get 2.3 free SC on Sign-up plus a first purchase bonus of 15SC for 9.99$ or 30SC for 19.99$. This is only the beginning of it. Bonuses are on a constant roll, not to mention a six-tier VIP program with exclusive prizes.

Cash prize redemptions are available when you rack up at least 100 SC, and you’ve got the most reliable payment methods like MasterCard, Visa, Trustly, and ACH to back you up.

WOW Vegas

WOW Vegas may only offer slot games, but it has an impressive 300+ titles. Pragmatic Play and Betsoft power the whole library, so you’ll be alternating between feature-packed video slots and the best 3D titles. But you can’t go wrong either way.

WOW Vegas starts new players with a welcome offer combining 3 days of login bonuses and a first purchase offer. Altogether, signing up at the casino offers 34.5 free SC and 1.5 million WOW Coins at $19.99.

A clean layout makes it easy to navigate and is one of the best sweepstakes for newbies looking to begin online casino gaming in Illinois. Redemptions are available here, too, at the rate of $1 per 1 SC.

BetRivers.net

The social casino brand of major US gambling company Rush Street Interactive, BetRivers.net, features a varied game library like you’ll find at any regular real money online casino. There are more than 400 slots to play. Plenty of table games and live dealer options are also available. There’s Slingo, video poker, and online bingo, too, for lovers of classic community games. It’s also got games you won’t find at real money sites, all from leading providers like Novomatic, Pragmatic Play, Red Tiger, Blueprint, Yggdrasil, and more.

Although BetRivers.net doesn’t support cash prizes, there are several promotions to enjoy, including a loyalty program that provides numerous bonuses and rewards. It begins with a no deposit bonus of 500 free Virtual Credits (VC) given for free upon registration. You can sign up online or through the dedicated mobile app.

VC is all you need to play games here, and you can get it by purchasing a package or through any of the many bonus drops you’ll receive.

Stake.us

Branded as America’s social casino, Stake.us was born to be the US-facing arm of the real money Stake.com. The casino is the first cryptocurrency sweepstakes site allowing you to purchase and redeem in BTC, USDT, ETH, and more altcoins.

Stake also has a large library of games, with more than 400 titles across outsourced and Stake Original slots, table games, scratchies, and live dealers. However, the main attraction is their collection of Stake Originals, which are crypto-powered and provably fair, with house edges as low as 1%.

Stake.us offers a bonus package of 10K Gold Coins + 1 Stake Cash and 5% rakeback for new players. This casino is packed with promotions, challenges, tournaments, and giveaways, all of which are different ways to earn free SC.

Fortune Coins

Fortune Coins is another great sweepstakes alternative to online casinos in Illinois. It’s an excellent place to play slots and casino games like keno and poker. You can also enjoy the fish table game Emily’s Treasure. This, along with all other slots, are part of a linked progressive jackpot offering massive amounts of Gold Coins and Fortune Coins. In total, more than 50 games are available to play.

The casino offers new players a free sign-up bonus of up to 140,000 Gold Coins + 800 Fortune Coins. Many other bonuses exist, including a daily login, referral bonuses, a VIP program, etc. You can redeem 100 FC for $1. This may seem like a low rate, but this casino is pretty generous with Fortune Coins.

Illinois Online Gambling

Gambling in Illinois has been around in one form or the other for a long time. Regulated pari-mutuel horse racing, for instance, dates back to 1927, one of the earliest recorded states to do so. The Land of Lincoln was also pretty quick to the online gambling party, with the Illinois Gambling Act approved and signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2019, barely a year after the overturning of PASPA.

Except for online casinos, the new law opened up new gambling routes while expanding already existing ones. Here are some other legal online gambling options in Illinois.

Sports Betting

Sports betting was a major focus of the Illinois Gambling Act. The activity was legalized in its entirety and launched with retail sportsbooks in Rivers Des Plaines and Argosy Casino Alton in March 2020. Later in June, BetRivers went live with the first sportsbook app. Now, seven apps are available, including several of our top-recommended legal sportsbooks like PointsBet, Caesars, FanDuel, and DraftKings. Most of these sportsbooks are partnered with a land-based Illinois casino.

In-person registration was originally a prerequisite. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, it was halted just before the scheduled launch of online sports betting in the state and definitively rescinded in March 2022.

Horse Racing

Pari-mutuel betting was legalized for the first time in 1927, and the activity grew significantly, with the state having six tracks in the Chicago area alone by the 1930s. The new law has permitted online horse race betting and allowed racetracks to become racinos by adding slots and table games, expanding the number of gaming positions offered. Off-track betting is also available through various sites in Illinois, including TVG, 4NJBets, and DRF.

Lotteries

Illinois was among the first states to establish lotteries back in 1974. It also trailblazed online lottery ticket sales in 2012. The Illinois Lottery official site offers tickets to all draw games, including Mega Millions, Powerball, Lucky Day and Lotto tickets, etc. Millions of tickets are sold annually, bringing in the largest gambling revenue for the state.

Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) are another popular mode of gambling in Illinois. These are similar to slot machines but allow you to enter lottery games and win instant prizes. The Video Gaming Act of 2009 allowed local bars, truck stops, and other licensed retail locations to provide Video Lottery Terminals. There are now over 40,000 locations around the state.

Daily Fantasy Sports

DFS is one of the legalized online gambling options in Illinois. Previously considered to be against gambling laws, a supreme court ruling in 2020 determined it to be a game of skill. DFS betting is now completely legal.

Poker

Online poker is the only other form of online gambling that wasn’t covered in the 2019 bill besides online casinos. Should internet casinos receive approval, most likely will poker, and vice versa. This is because lawmakers pushing for online casinos are just as open to online poker games.

Illinois residents and visitors can still play poker online at Global Poker, the exclusive poker social casino within the US. Cash games, tournaments, and sit-and-go formats are available with game variants like no-limit Texas hold ’em, pot-limit Omaha, and Crazy Pineapple.

Land-based poker tables are not too common either, but you’ll find them at casinos like Hollywood Casino Aurora and Bally’s Quad Cities Casino & Hotel. Other sites like Global Poker include Rush Games, Funrize, and Royal Loyal Casino.

Best Illinois Casinos

Illinois casinos have been around since 1990 after the Riverboat Gambling Act was approved, becoming the second state to legalize riverboat gambling in the US. There are 11 riverboat casinos in Illinois located on lakes, rivers, or other artificial shallow waters.

So the land-based casinos here aren’t exactly based on land, at least not yet. The 2019 bill expanded riverboat gaming, allowing these casinos to move to land and increasing the number of gaming positions they can offer.

DraftKings at Casino Queen

This Illinois casino sits in the heart of the Prairie State, just off the Mississippi river, and includes multiple dining options, an RV park, a smoke-free hotel, and more amenities.

It’s one of the best Illinois casinos offering nearly 1,000 popular slot machines. There are also video poker machines and table games, including the classics blackjack, roulette, craps, and poker variants like Mississippi Stud, Three Card Poker, or Ultimate Texas Hold ’em. Several high-stakes areas are available too.

It’s also got a DraftKings branded retail sports betting kiosk. Should online casinos become legal in Illinois, a DK online casino app will likely be launched, allowing Illinoisans access to its signature $50 no deposit / 100% match up to $2,000 welcome bonus.

Caesars at Grand Victoria Casino

This casino, located about 40 miles west of Chicago in Elgin, is one of the finest riverboat gaming spots with 700 slots and classic Vegas-style table games. Fine dining is provided with several restaurants, including the award-winning Buckinghams Steakhouse, all while floating on the picturesque Fox River. The Caesars-owned casino has a branded retail sportsbook on board.

Several promotions and giveaways are available for patrons via the Caesars Rewards program. Suppose online casino gambling gets the green light. Players in Illinois can benefit from these rewards at home via the Caesars Illinois casino app as well as the exclusive 200% to $200 and $10 no deposit using our GUSAC10 bonus code.

Barstool at Argosy Casino Alton

This Illinois casino, formerly Alton Belle, was the first riverboat casino to launch after the approval of the Riverboat Gambling Act. It was established in 1991 and had new life breathed into it, becoming the casino partner of one of the state’s first legal sportsbooks in March 2020. The Barstool branded location includes 36 massive TVs and odds display monitors.

The casino lobby features hundreds of slot machines and a good number of table games, mostly classics like blackjack and roulette. This casino location also comprises three restaurants, including Journey Steakhouse and the Captain’s Table Buffet. Penn Entertainment owns the riverboat casino, so there’s a range of online casino operators we could see launch in partnership in the future. Most likely, the Barstool Casino no deposit bonus will become available through this Prairie state casino.

Hollywood Casino Aurora

This casino on the outskirts of Chicago offers more than 1000 slot machines and 21 tables, including high-stakes blackjack, roulette, and craps. It’s also got a decent choice of poker with daily live games like Limit Hold’Em and No Limit Hold’Em.

There are 53,000 square feet of gaming plus a Barstool sportsbook. The riverboat establishment also has four dining locations, including a VIP Lounge. Like the Argosy Casino Alton, Hollywood Casino Aurora is also owned and operated by PENN Entertainment.

Rivers Casino Des Plaines

Rivers Casino in Illinois is home to a massive casino lobby. The gaming entertainment includes 1400+ slots with huge progressive jackpots and provides the most table game action in Chicago with over 95 table games. Live poker is available with games like Texas Hold ’em, Omaha, and Stud Poker.

Over half a dozen dining options, live DJs, and an event center exist. All this is just a short drive from O’Hare International Airport.

The BetRivers sportsbook is already live here, and when real money casinos are allowed in Illinois, the BetRivers casino will almost certainly follow suit. BetRivers is pretty versatile with its casino bonuses, so new players in Illinois can expect a custom offer in deposit match or cashback.

New Illinois Casinos

Six new brick-and-mortar casinos were given the go-ahead in the bill.

• Construction of the Hard Rock Rockford Casino is underway, but a temporary location is already open and among the list of active casinos in the state.
• The site down in Waukegan – also a temporary location – is the latest casino to open (Feb 17).
• Among the four other casinos provided for in the bill is the massive 30-acre Chicago casino for which Bally won the bid to operate. It is scheduled to launch by 2026 at the former Chicago Tribune printing site at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street.
• Land-based establishments will replace the Hollywood riverboat casinos in Aurora and Joliet. Finally, a Danville casino has already received approval from the Illinois Gaming board and may launch as early as this year.

Online Casino Games in Illinois

Online casino games are the joy of playing at an online casino site, apart from bonuses, of course. The online casino replicates all the gaming fun on the land-based casino, so whenever the market opens up for legal online casinos in Illinois, your favorite games will be available to play.

The good news is that sweepstakes sites also feature these casino-style games. They are currently legal to play with no restrictions in Illinois. Several of them allow you to play for free and win real cash prizes.

IL Online Slots

Online slots are among the most popular online casino games, and they are just as numerous as the land-based gaming machines at the different gambling establishments, maybe even more.

They work just the same too. Whether you play online slots at sweepstakes casinos or real money online casinos in Illinois, you’ll get a range of the best titles from leading developers like NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, and Playtech, both standard and progressive jackpot kinds.

Online Roulette

Roulette is a casino staple, so if legal online casino gambling goes live in Illinois, these games will most certainly be included in the legislation. Online roulette is a chance-based game with plenty of betting options that you can use to strategize and make smart bets.

Chances are you’ll find more versatile roulette tables when you play online roulette games. The top sweepstakes casinos like BetRivers.net have many variants of the game. American roulette is common in the US, but European and French table variations, too, will be provided to spice up the entertainment.

Online Blackjack

Playing blackjack online has the same standard rules as the land-based tables. While the latter can be slow at times when there’s a full table of players, each taking their turn, online blackjack is much faster. Bet at your own pace, go through more rounds in less time, and take as much time to think through your next move and strategies. There’s a lot more versatility when you play casino games online, so you’ll find more than just the classic tables.

Online Poker

Online poker is not a casino staple like blackjack, so it’s not automatically thrown in together with other casino games. Nonetheless, if online casinos make it through the national assembly, chances are online poker will too.

Not every casino offers these games, but the likes of 888 Casino and Unibet Casino offer great poker gambling apps should they become available when Illinois online casinos are approved. Currently, Global Poker is the best place to enjoy all forms of legal online poker gameplay.

Live Casino

Live dealer casino games are designed to deliver a similar experience to playing at Illinois land-based casinos. That means real-life dealers, real cards, multiple players, etc. Live casino gaming is usually available wherever online casinos are legal in the states, so we can expect the same with any future launch of online casinos in Illinois.

These games have fewer providers, so you’ll only find them at the top operators. Fortunately, big names like DraftKings and Caesars have the groundwork to launch apps in Illinois, and they’ve also got some of the best live casino games.

Live casino games are also not too common on sweepstakes sites. But you’ll find several to play on BetRivers.net and Stake.us.

Specialty Games

Any games that don’t fit into the categories covered above can safely be grouped into specialty games. Bingo games, scratchcards, and keno are typical specialty games. These aren’t standard casino offerings you’ll find everywhere, but several operators will definitely cover them.

Instead, you can play these casino games online at sweepstakes casinos. For instance, Stake.us has a great variety of scratchies, and Fortune Coins is good for keno and fish games. You cannot go wrong with Pulsz Bingo and Golden Hearts Games Bingo either.

How IL Gambling Sites Work

You’d be trying to get your head around how to approach online casinos in Illinois by the time they launch. So we’ve thought ahead and, in the following sections, will guide you on how to register, deposit, withdraw, and claim bonuses on online casinos.

Online Casino Registration

In-person registration is no longer a requirement for online sports betting apps in Illinois. So it likely won’t be necessary for online casinos either. You can register directly online by filling out the registration module that’ll be provided. Here’s an extract of the steps required to sign up at Caesars casino:

1. Click the ‘Join Now’ button to launch the registration module
2. Enter your email address and password
3. Fill in your personal details – name, date of birth, gender
4. Enter your contact details, including home address,
5. Set your security questions and answers
6. Input the relevant bonus code
7. Accept the terms and conditions and click ‘Join Now’ again

Note that when registering is that you must be of legal gambling age (21+). You’ll also have to be within the state confines to play at any online casino that goes live within the Prairie State.

Deposit and Withdrawal Methods

Online sportsbooks are already live in Illinois, so there’s a pretty clear picture of what payment methods will be available at the best Illinois online casinos should they launch. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and Play+ are common card payment solutions. They are very flexible with limits and enable instant deposits. Not to mention, they’re easily accessible.

E-wallets like PayPal are increasingly common for online sports betting in Illinois, so it’ll likely be available when it becomes legal to play blackjack online. Direct online banking and ACH e-check should round up the online payment methods. As is currently the case with online sportsbooks, you can deposit and withdraw with cash as well. This is possible by heading to the casino cage in person or with PayNearMe electronic billing.

Several of these payment methods are also available at online sweepstakes casinos. PayPal transactions are allowed on BetRivers.net and Fortune Coins, while Visa and MasterCard are the staples across almost all social casino platforms.

Casino Apps

If online casinos in Illinois become a reality, the majority of operators will launch with apps. We already have the likes of BetRivers, PointsBet, Caesars, and Barstool, all with dedicated online sportsbook apps for Illinoisans to gamble online.

It would be easy to incorporate a casino product and have players update the app to access it. A second option would be to create a separate casino app, a strategy that some operators prefer. Regardless, you’ll be able to get the app on the App Store or Global Play and begin your optimized on-the-go experience. You can just as easily create your online casino account via the app as the online site.

Bonuses

Great bonuses characterize the best online casinos. And should online gambling sites like Caesars casino, FanDuel casino, and others we expect become available, they will come with some very impressive perks. Players in Illinois will get everything from matched deposit offers to no deposit offers, free spins, cashback, and more.

Nowadays, operators tend to provide combo offers. BetMGM Casino, for instance, offers a $25 no deposit and a 100% match up to $1,000 for newly registered customers.

The top US casinos are excellent because they keep providing value long after you shed the new player status. You can get reload cash bonuses and free spins regularly. Tournaments are becoming a big deal at online casinos too, and these come with leaderboard rankings and more bonuses to be won as prizes. Referral bonuses and VIP programs may also be available.

Naturally, all these offers have terms and conditions, so ensure you read the fine print before claiming each one. Many of these bonuses will only have a low wagering requirement, nothing too heavy that you’ll have to spend over your budget.

Responsible gambling is paramount for operators according to the regulatory requirements of the Illinois Gaming Board.

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