- Il Sports Betting Bill
- Il Gambling Bill
- Il Sports Gambling Bill
- Ill Gambling Bill Governor
- Il Gaming Bill
For some, the topic of gambling in Illinois might evoke thoughts of Al Capone and organized crime. But in truth, Illinois has had a long history of legal gambling.
The state recently moved to considerably expand the number of places, methods and types of gambling thanks to the 2019 Illinois Gambling Act.
The new law legalizes sports betting in physical sportsbooks and online. The sportsbooks will be allowed in casinos, racetracks and within proximity to existing sports venues.
Gambling Bill Passes Illinois Senate, Pritzker Expected To Sign Into Law June 2, 2019 at 10:23 pm Filed Under: Chicago Casino, gambling, Sports Betting, State Legislature. Governor Pritzker signed the Illinois sports betting bill into law on Friday in the state capitol of Springfield. The sports betting bill had been tacked onto a large infrastructure capital bill to give it a much better shot at passing as opposed to standalone legislation. An Illinois House committee just now approved the biggest gambling-expansion bill since the state's current casino industry was set up a generation ago. It would allow slot machines at. The Illinois Senate passed the gaming expansion bill June 2, 2019, and sent the legislation to the governor’s desk. This GT Alert provides a general summary of the gaming expansion bill followed by a more detailed review of the Sports Wagering Act (the Act).
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Also authorized are new sports betting kiosks at licensed locations where limited forms of sports betting will be allowed.
In other words, there are already various ways to gamble in Illinois, and more are coming soon. Here’s an overview of the gambling types currently available in Illinois, as well as what’s to come.
Is online gambling legal in Illinois?
The new Illinois Gambling Act of 2019 allows online sports betting in Illinois, although it does not legalize other types of online casino games or online poker.
Since 2012, the Illinois Lottery has provided residents and visitors to play Powerball, Mega Millions and other games from their computers or mobile devices.
It is possible to bet on horse racing online in Illinois as well, either at the state’s three horse tracks or at two dozen off-track betting (OTB) locations.
TVG is available in Illinois for online horse betting.
Illinois also allows daily fantasy sports (DFS).
Regarding other available types of online gambling, those in Illinois can play social casino games.
Sweepstakes casinos and poker sites
Another option is Chumba Casino, a sweepstakes site offering a variety of online slot games that permits play from Illinois.
The site employs a dual-currency system involving “gold coins” that can be purchased and “sweeps coins,” which players can only obtain as a bonus or via various promotions.
Other sweepstakes sites, such as LuckyLand Slots, operate similarly and are available to those in Illinois.
Online poker players have similar social options like Zynga or the World Series of Poker.
Global Poker, the sister site to Chumba Casino, also provides a similar dual-currency loophole to be considered a sweepstakes site, thereby enabling the operator to allow players in Illinois and elsewhere in the US to play.
What types of gambling are available in Illinois?
Illinois is a gambling-friendly state and offers many options for those who love to play.
Whether you’re a poker pro, sports handicapper, love to hit the horse tracks, or are new to casino games, here’s our full guide.
Illinois riverboat casinos
The state’s 10 riverboat casinos all feature slot machines and table games. Here’s a list of Illinois casinos and where they are located:
- Argosy Casino Alton (Alton)
- Casino Queen (East St. Louis)
- Grand Victoria Casino (Elgin)
- Harrah’s Casino & Hotel Joliet (Joliet)
- Harrah’s Metropolis Casino & Hotel (Metropolis)
- Hollywood Casino Aurora (Aurora)
- Hollywood Casino & Hotel Joliet (Joliet)
- Jumer’s Casino & Hotel (Rock Island)
- Par-A-Dice Hotel & Casino (East Peoria)
- Rivers Casino Des Plaines (Des Plaines)
All 10 have a variety of slots, including reel slots and progressive slots, plus video poker.
Depending on where you go, table games include:
- Blackjack varieties, including 21+3
- Big 6 Wheel
- Caribbean Stud
- Craps
- EZ Bacc (a baccarat variant)
- High-card flush
- Let It Ride
- Mini-baccarat
- Mississippi Stud poker
- Pai Gow poker
- Roulette
- Three card poker
- Texas Hold’em Bonus
- Ultimate Texas Hold’em
Some (not all) riverboat casinos have poker rooms as well.
Illinois law does not permit casinos to remain open 24 hours, which means most will close their doors for two to four hours each day during the early morning.
The Illinois Gambling Act authorizes six additional casinos to be built in Illinois in the following locations:
- Chicago
- Danville
- Waukegan
- Rockford
- Williamson County (near Carbondale)
- Cook County in either Bloom, Bremen, Calumet, Rich, Thornton or Worth
The new law also allows the riverboat casinos to finally become land-based casinos after paying a fee and obtaining regulators’ approval to do so.
The existing casinos will be allowed to expand their operations from 1,200 to 2,000 “gaming positions” should they desire, with such expansion also requiring the payment of a position fee for every added position.
Meanwhile, the new Chicago “mega-casino” will be much bigger, with 4,000 gaming positions.
Illinois horse betting
Illinois currently has three horse racetracks:
- Arlington International Racecourse (Arlington Heights)
- Fairmount Park Racetrack (Collinsville)
- Hawthorne Race Course (Cicero)
There are 24 off-track betting locations at present, with the most recent update to the Illinois Horse Racing Act that allows for 19 more. All are operated under the auspices of one of the three in-state tracks.
Here are those OTB sites, arranged by city:
- Alton: Mac’s Time-Out Lounge OTB
- Aurora: The Piazza
- Chicago: Trackside at Joe’s Bar
- Chicago: Club Corliss OTB
- Crestwood: Crestwood OTB
- Glendale Heights: Q Bar
- Green Oaks: Post Time Sports Bar & Grille
- Hodgkins: Trackside at Salerno’s
- Hoffman Estates: The Saddle Room
- Joliet: Bookie Magee’s OTB Parlor
- Lansing: Black Eyed Susan
- McHenry: Salerno’s Pizzeria & R.Bar
- Mokena: Stoney Point Grill
- Normal: BloNo Pizza Co.
- North Aurora: The Turf Room
- Oakbrook Terrace: Oakbrook Terrace OTB
- Ottawa: Furlong’s Sports Grill & OTB
- Peoria: Bullpen Bar & Grill
- Prospect Heights: Players Pub & Grill
- Rockford: Don Carter Lanes
- Sauget: Route 3 OTB
- Springfield: Capitol Teletrack
- Villa Park: Crazy Pour
- Waukegan: Trackside Waukegan
The minimum age to wager on horse racing in Illinois is 18 years. The minimum bet is $2, aside from some exotic wagers where the minimum is $1.
Both the Fairmount Park Racetrack and Hawthorne Race Course are moving forward to expand their offerings and become full “racinos” with slots and table games. However, Arlington Park owners Churchill Downs caused a stir by announcing it would not be pursuing a casino license after balking at what it believes to be a burdensome tax requirement on revenue generated from the casino games. The news has thrown the famed race track’s future in doubt, with a few interested groups starting to emerge, expressing an interest in purchasing the property from Churchill Downs.
Online horse race betting is also available in Illinois via the state’s racetracks and OTB locations.
Illinois sports betting
Illinois sports betting launched in March 2020. Two of Illinois’ casinos, the Argosy Casino Alton and Rivers Des Plaines, opened their retail sportsbook operations during that month.
Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a delay in the rollout for a few months. However, since March 2020, two more casinos – the Grand Victoria Casino Elgin and the Casino Queen – have opened retail sportsbooks.
Il Sports Betting Bill
There are also five online sportsbooks active in the state now including BetRivers, DraftKings, and FanDuel. The latest sportsbook, William Hill, launched September 15.
The list of open sportsbooks is only expected to grow. However, along with casinos, racetracks and certain sports venues in Illinois are also able to apply for licensure.
In addition, lottery vendors will be able to accept some wagers on sports. They will offer a limited range of wagering options for sports bettors consisting of “parlay wagers and fixed-odds parlay wagers” only.
The new law allows 2,500 kiosks to be placed in lottery retail locations during the first year and up to another 2,500 through June 2021.
When will sports betting go live in Illinois?
It’s live now! The first online sportsbook, BetRivers, launched in June 2020. Since then, five other online sportsbooks have joined the party, and more are expected in the coming months.
There are now five retail sportsbooks open for business in Illinois. However, most of Illinois’ casinos should have a retail sportsbook before long.
Illinois video gaming terminals
Since 2009, video gaming terminals, or VGTs, have been available throughout Illinois at licensed retail establishments.
You’ll often find them in establishments with liquor licenses like restaurants, bars, convenience stores and hotels. Truck stops and fraternal or veteran’s organizations with national charters also have them.
The law initially allowed each establishment up to five VGTs in one location. However, the Illinois Gambling Act amended the Video Gaming Act to increase that number to six while also allowing “large truck stops” to operate up to 10 VGTs.
Other changes to the law include increasing the maximum bet (from $2 to $4), increasing the maximum win (from $500 to $1,199), the authorization of progressive jackpots and an increase in the tax imposed from 30% to 33%.
The VGTs are housed in stand-alone, slant-top cabinets or upright cabinets set on a base such as a bar.
The machines are very much like video slots. However, unlike the slots in casinos, each VGT typically features a wide variety of games from which to choose, including slots and video poker games.
In late 2019 there were more than 6,800 establishments with VGTs in Illinois, making the state the country’s leader by a wide margin over Nevada, which has around 2,000 locations.
Daily fantasy sports in Illinois
While there isn’t a law on the books in Illinois specifically legalizing daily fantasy sports contests, the state is one of many that have no explicit prohibitions against it and has thus remained inviting to DFS operators.
There have been a few attempts to propose DFS legislation in Illinois dating back to 2015, though all fell short of creating any new law.
Meanwhile, it was also in 2015 that the state’s attorney general opined the games constituted illegal gambling under current state law. This position certainly affected legislative efforts but appears not to have mattered much when it comes to sites continuing to serve Illinois players.
The two largest sites, DraftKings and FanDuel, are available to play in Illinois, as are Fantasy Draft, Yahoo! and other smaller DFS sites.
Charitable gaming
Il Gambling Bill
Illinois additionally has laws on the books permitting various forms of “charitable gaming,” including bingo and drawing games like raffles, pull tabs and jar games.
Illinois poker
As noted above, live poker is legal in all of the existing casinos in Illinois. Poker will be among the other table games permitted in the new casinos as well.
The two Harrah’s properties, Hollywood Casino Aurora, Grand Victoria, Jumer’s and Par-a-Dice, all have live poker rooms. However, all are on the small side with Hollywood Casino Aurora’s 15-table room the largest.
Nearly all these poker rooms exclusively spread low-stakes no-limit hold’em cash games as well as low buy-in daily or weekly tournaments.
There are also a few legal “charity poker” rooms in the state, especially around the Chicago area.
Is online poker legal in Illinois?
Online poker in Illinois is another story. The new gambling expansion bill does not provide for online casino games or poker.
So, this means Illinois will not be joining Delaware, New Jersey, Nevada or Pennsylvania, which currently allow players to enjoy legal and regulated online poker.
Illinois poker players do have the option to play at Global Poker, a sweepstakes poker site.
Illinois Lottery
The Illinois Lottery can be played at thousands of retail locations across the state as well as online.
The three main game types are:
- Daily games
- Instant tickets
- Jackpot games
Powerball is a multi-state jackpot game involving 45 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Tickets cost just $2 and jackpots start at $40 million, with drawings every Wednesday and Saturday.
The Mega Millions is a multi-state lottery involving the same locations as the Powerball for which jackpots also start at $40 million. Tickets are $2 (having increased from $1 in October 2017), and drawings are every Tuesday and Friday.
Lotto is an Illinois-only jackpot game with $1 tickets and jackpots starting at $2 million, with drawings every Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Players can purchase a $1 “extra shot” for a chance at additional prizes.
For daily games, Illinois offers:
- Lucky Day Lotto
- Pick 3
- Pick 4
These games each feature twice-a-day drawings at 12:40 p.m. and 9:22 p.m. every day.
Pick 3 and Pick 4 each cost just 50 cents to play. In the Pick 3 game, players choose three numbers from one to nine and can win up to $500. The Pick 4 game involves picking four numbers from one to nine with a chance to win up to $5,000.
The Lucky Day Lotto costs $1 to play and involves picking five numbers from one to 45. The jackpot starts at $100,000 and increases with every drawing that doesn’t produce a winner.
Instant tickets include a variety of scratch-off style lottery tickets that cost $2-$3 and feature maximum prizes of $20,000, up to $50,000.
To play the lottery online in Illinois, you’ll need to register for an Illinois Lottery online account.
Players must be residents of Illinois and at least 18 years or older. The age requirement means the registration process requires sharing some personal information for verification purposes.
Players can play the lottery online over a web-based browser or via the Illinois Lottery mobile app available for both iOS and Android users.
Deposit methods include credit or debit cards. Winnings of up to $600 are deposited directly into users’ accounts, while the Illinois Lottery Claims Department must process more massive wins.
Withdrawing funds from your Illinois Lottery online account can be done either via a direct deposit into a checking or savings account or by requesting a check.
Another option for those playing the Illinois Lottery online is to purchase subscriptions to the jackpot and daily games, allowing them to buy tickets for up to 25 consecutive drawings at once. However, the money is not deducted from the user’s account until after each drawing occurs.
Players can play all of the jackpot games and daily games online, but not the instant tickets. However, the app does allow players to scan purchased tickets —including instant tickets — to find out if they are winners.
Responsible gambling in Illinois
Illinois has several measures in place to protect and assist problem gamblers.
In 2002, the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) launched the Statewide Riverboat Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program for Problem Gamblers, known as SEP.
The program allows those who determine they are problem gamblers to self-exclude themselves from Illinois casinos. The new gambling expansion law extends SEP to sports wagering as well.
In 2018, the IGB additionally established the Problem Gambling Registry for Video Gaming.
Those who enroll receive regular emails providing information about problem gambling with links to problem gambling prevention and treatment resources in the state. The program is available both to Illinois and out-of-state residents.
The Illinois Department of Human Services has also developed a website to provide support and advice for problem gamblers — WeKnowTheFeeling.org — that also invites problem gamblers to contact them by phone at 1-800-GAMBLER.
The IGB site also provides additional information regarding these programs and other help for problem gamblers.
Where do gambling tax dollars go?
During the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, Illinois brought in more than $1.4 billion in tax revenue from gambling, an increase of 3.5% from the year before. With the new gambling expansion law in effect, some estimates have forecasted that total could increase considerably going forward.
The lottery was the largest contributor, having provided a little over half the overall revenue total, with video gambling and casinos contributing most of the rest.
With the Illinois Lottery, about 65% of the money that players spend goes to payouts while a little more than 10% goes to cover administrative expenses.
The other 24% of lottery ticket sales go to the Common School Fund for K-12 public education in the state, an amount that totaled $731.2 million during the fiscal year 2019.
The Illinois Lottery also contributes to other causes, including veterans’ services, research on multiple sclerosis and breast cancer, police memorials, Special Olympics training, assistance to HIV/AIDS patients and more.
The lottery additionally contributes to the Capital Projects Fund used for transportation, school and housing construction, water infrastructure and other projects.
Most of the tax revenue collected from both video gaming and casinos also goes to funds designed to improve the quality of life in Illinois, with a small percentage also set aside for administrative costs into the State Gaming Fund.
The majority of tax revenues from video gaming are deposited into the aforementioned Capital Projects Fund. The majority of tax revenues from Illinois casinos are currently transferred to the Education Assistance Fund, which also helps with K-12 education spending.
Historical overview of legal gambling in Illinois
Legal and regulated pari-mutuel horse race betting in Illinois dates back to 1927.
Illinois first introduced the lottery in 1974, joining the first big wave of states to do so. Later in 2012, Illinois became the first state to offer online lottery ticket sales and is still one of a limited number of states that do.
Riverboat gambling has been legal in Illinois since 1990 and, in fact, Illinois was the second state in the US to legalize riverboat gambling after Iowa. A year later, the first riverboat casino opened the Alton Belle (then to become the Argosy Casino Alton).
For the first several years, the boats were required to leave docks and set sail at regular intervals, but that is no longer the case. At present, 10 riverboat casinos are operating either on boats or docked barges or on what are essentially land-based properties resting in shallow water.
In 2009, the Video Gaming Act was enacted in Illinois, allowing the placement of VGTs in licensed retail locations, truck stops, and veteran and fraternal establishments.
More recently, in June 2019, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Illinois Gambling Act, a law allowing for significant gambling expansion in the state. The new law permits six new casinos to be built, including one “mega-casino” near Chicago.
It also allows the existing casinos and racetracks to expand the number of “gaming positions” they can offer, including allowing the tracks to become “racinos” by adding slots and table games.
Home » US Poker Laws – State by State Reviews » Illinois Gambling & Online Poker Laws
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April 30th, 2018 | Last updated on November 2nd, 2020
Illinois Gambling & Online Poker Laws
Last Updated November 2, 2020
Last Updated November 2, 2020
Home to the “Windy City” and an eternal favorite of gamblers, Illinois is the base for a multitude of successful online and live tournament poker professionals. Poker seems to be in the state’s blood; President Obama often recalls his late-night games of poker played during his time at the Illinois Statehouse. In the live poker scene, locals have a wide variety of upcoming tournaments in poker clubs and riverboat casinos they can enter. Illinois has a more complicated relationship with real cash online poker.
In our guide to online poker in Illinois, we’ll explain and analyze the current gambling laws in Illinois, while discussing the poker sites which accept players from the state. We’ll discuss the odds that Illinois lawmakers regulate the Internet poker industry. This review of Illinois online poker laws will analyze whether existing gaming interests in the state support or oppose such laws.
Illinois Online Poker Guide
If you want to play online poker in IL, we suggest that you choose a room from our list below. The poker sites in this list have been chosen because they accept Illinois players, are regulated and – most importantly – have the softest games of all available Illinois online poker rooms. Here are the top legal Illinois online poker rooms:
Bovada | $500 Bonus | 3-4 Day Payouts | Accepts Visa, Bitcoin, Wires |
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Ignition | $2000 Bonus | 3-4 Day Payouts | Accepts Visa, Bitcoin, Wires |
Is Online Poker Legal in Illinois?
Illinois is a state that does face some restrictions when it comes to playing poker online. Some sites that take players from other states don’t accept new players from Illinois. Read Poker Atlas for the latest updates on live poker events at local card clubs and the riverboat casino scene. As for online poker in Illinois, we have you covered.
Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about finding the right site that will allow you to sign up from Illinois; our list of real poker sites in Illinois on this page is comprised exclusively of rooms that take players from Illinois, saving your time for the online poker tables.
Il Sports Gambling Bill
Latest Updates Through 2020
Actions in the Illinois legislature in 2017 gave many legal online poker supporters hope that lawmakers were beginning to see the positives of legalizing and regulating online gaming. There was a bill that would’ve done just that for online poker and casino games, which passed the full Senate by a 42-10 vote in May, but the House bill never made it through committee as hearings were cancelled at the last minute.
However, online poker remained on the table going into 2018. State Representative Michael Zalewski’s H.479 was still being pushed, and he was confident that the right mix of gambling expansion projects would be appealing to a majority of lawmakers.
The tide began to turn not long after the United States Supreme Court overturned PASPA, which allowed New Jersey and all other states to address sports betting as they chose. Supporters of online gambling revised SB.7 to add daily fantasy sports and sports betting to the bill, but it happened late in the session and too close to its closing date of May 31.
Senate Bill 7 became a bipartisan bill, with several Republican and Democratic sponsors: Senators Terry Link, Dave Syverson, Mattie Hunter, and Donne Trotter; and Representatives Robert Rita, Rita Mayfield, Chad Hays, and Litesa Wallace. The proposal included articles for the “Fantasy Sports Act,” “Internet Gaming Act,” and “Sports Wagering Act.” Importantly, though, the bill lacked details about tax rates, licensing, and the regulatory framework.
One of those sponsors, Rita, then took an opportunity in the summer of 2018 to announce two hearings to discuss gambling expansion for Illinois. The first was held on August 22 in Chicago, and it was more than four hours of debate featuring members of joint committees. The main topics were new land-based casinos and expanded numbers of video gaming terminals.
The second hearing in early October was held in Springfield and focused heavily on sports betting. Horse racing takes precedence in Illinois and it became clear that there were many issues to be worked out before a solid bill could be drafted and presented to legalize sports betting, but it will be a priority for many lawmakers in 2019. This may mean that SB.0007 could be discarded and rewritten, and it is unclear whether online poker and casino games will be included in a new online gambling bill to be considered in early 2019.
Some speculation was correct for 2019 in that lawmakers were ready to pull together for gambling expansion in the state of Illinois. However, online poker and other forms of internet gambling were not a part of that picture. No matter the intentions of some lawmakers, it did not happen.
In the summer of 2019, a massive gambling expansion bill passed through the legislature after months of negotiations and discussions. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed it into law. It included the legalization of video gaming terminal (VGT) establishments, five new casinos in Illinois, a mega-casino in Chicago, a new racetrack, slot machines and table games in racetracks (making them racinos), and sports betting.
There will be 16 retail sportsbooks in the state and three online sportsbooks for Illinois. Casinos, racetracks, and stadiums may begin applying for sports betting licenses in December 2019. Sports betting should be live in land-based establishments and online sometime in 2020.
The future for online poker and internet slot and table games remains unknown. The inability to include online gambling into the 2019 omnibus bill was disappointing, and it is not known if there will be an opportunity to legalize those online games in 2020.
Type/Code | Summary |
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State Code Section(s) | 230.ICLS.5-40; 720.ICLS.5.28 |
Definition of Gambling & Player | Person Commits Gambling:Knowingly plays a game of chance or skill for money or other thing of value; or knowingly establishes, maintains, or operates an internet site that permits a person to play a game of chance or skill for money or other thing of value by means of the Internet or to make a wager upon the result of any game, contest, political nomination, appointment, or election by means of the Internet. |
Online Poker/Gambling | Multiple attempts to legalize online poker and internet gaming have happened in the last decade, but the most recent pieces of legislation came close to passage. The 2017 bill for online poker was paired with casino expansion and passed the Senate but not the House. There is talk of an omnibus bill that will include online gambling with other forms of gambling expansion in 2018 or 2019. |
Live Poker | Live poker is permitted in all of the casinos in Illinois, and the poker rooms offer cash games and tournaments. |
Casinos | The Riverboat Gambling Act permitted 10 fully-functional casinos to be established on riverboats, though the strict rules have been eased somewhat. There have been proposals to establish more casinos in Illinois, most recently via bills in 2017 and 2018. Lawmakers have come surprisingly close to expanding the number of casinos in the state. |
Sports Betting | A bill to legalize sports betting in Illinois casinos was introduced in 2018 and is still pending.. |
DFS | A 2017 proposal for daily fantasy sports carried over into 2018 and remains open for consideration, possibly as a part of a larger gambling expansion bill going forward. |
Other Forms of Gambling | Horse racing, pari-mutuel betting, bingo, raffles, pull-tabs, charitable gambling, poker runs, jar games, Native American gaming, video gaming terminals. |
Illinois Law and Online Poker
So where does Illinois stand when it comes to the law and online poker? The state does address the issue of online gambling directly in its law, so let’s talk a bit more about that part of the Illinois statute and a few other aspects that should be of interest to the typical online poker player.
First, what constitutes gambling in Illinois? The law is pretty clear; gambling occurs when someone
“plays a game of chance or skill for money or other thing of value” (Section 28-1).
The only exceptions are state-approved forms of gambling.
Violation of that section as a player is a class A misdemeanor (Section 28-1(c)). Illinois does not have a history of aggressively pursuing mere participants in illegal gambling.
What does Illinois law have to say about online gambling? It is illegal if someone plays poker online?
“knowingly establishes, maintains, or operates an internet site that permits a person to play a game of chance or skill for money or other thing of value by means of the internet or to make a wager upon the result of any game, contest, political nomination, appointment, or election by means of the internet” (Section 28-1(12)).”
Nothing in the section (or in any other part of Illinois law) appears to directly address the act of participating on such “internet sites” as a mere player.
What you’re left with is a situation that, to some degree, lacks legal clarity. However, that should not be mistaken as a blanket endorsement that all online gambling activity is explicitly legal. In such cases of uncertainty, players should start by reviewing the laws of Illinois personally, and then continue by consulting a lawyer if questions persist.
Illinois Gambling Guide
Most accounts of Illinois history assign gambling an early and prominent role in the story of the state. Whether through the lotteries of early settlers, the famous riverboat gambling ships that cruised Illinois waters during the 1800s or the ubiquitous, ever-present gambling halls of Chicago, you’d be hard-pressed to pick a point in the Illinois timeline that didn’t involve gambling in some way, shape or form.
Today’s gambling industry in Illinois is a result of nearly forty years of legislative shifts toward gambling expansion, one that began in 1974 with the authorization of the state lottery. Online poker legislation is an extension of those legislative trends, but like many states with a substantial land-based gambling industry, the existing interests complicate iGaming bills.
What Gambling is Regulated in Illinois?
Most popular forms of regulated gambling are permitted under Illinois law. In addition to the state lottery and the multiple casinos spread across the state, there is also legal pari-mutuel wagering in Illinois and a wide slate of charitable gambling formats.
Illinois has vastly expanded its gambling offerings in recent years, most extensively with a massive gambling expansion bill in 2019.
There had been more than 32,561 video gaming terminals (VGTs) in Illinois, but there will be more when the new law is implemented in 2020 with the creation of full VGT establishments. There were also 10 casinos in the state, but that was expanded this year to allow for five new casinos to be built and a mega-casino/resort in the city of Chicago. And on top of the three horse racing tracks in Illinois already, an additional one was approved in 2019. Racetracks will also be able to expand to become racinos and offer up to 1,200 casino games, including slots and table games.
Online lottery games have been available for some time, but sports betting will now be available online. In 2020, there will be three online sportsbooks to complement the 16 retail sportsbooks. In addition, there will be 2,500 sports betting lottery kiosks permitted throughout the state.
All Poker and Gambling Laws by State
- Illinois was close last year. There was a strong bill championed by State Representative Robert Rita and others, there were hearings, and there was widespread support for the sports betting part of the bill. Online poker and casino games were also included in that gambling expansion bill, along with newRead Full
- December 28th, 2018Last year, the attempt to predict which states might join the ranks of those with legalized online poker was not very successful. In fact, only one state actually passed such legislation in 2018, but at the very last minute, on December 28, that state’s governor vetoed the bill. Oh, Michigan!Read Full
- October 18th, 2018Illinois was one of only a few states that held open the possibility of legalizing online poker and other casino games in latter part of 2018. The consideration has been part of a larger gambling expansion bill that was and remains on the table for lawmakers this year. While onlineRead Full
- August 26th, 2018While most other states that had considered online poker in 2018 abandoned those ideas earlier in the year, Illinois remained open to it. One lawmaker continues to champion one bill, and its future may depend on a legislative hearing set for October. The process of legalizing online gaming – whetherRead Full
- August 2nd, 2018Most states that examined online poker in early 2018 have abandoned it for the year, as legislative sessions ended and no plans were made to revisit online gaming at all in the next few months. Illinois, it appears, is not one of those states. There wasn’t much hope placed inRead Full
- May 29th, 2018Online poker and gambling became real legislative possibilities for Illinois in 2017. The Senate even passed a bill to legalize and regulate those internet games one year ago, but the companion bill on the House side never garnered enough support to even pass a committee. There has been no wordRead Full
IL Online Poker and Gambling Facts: Objective Sources
ICGA . The Illinois Casino Gaming Association is a trade group representing the interests of many of Illinois’ casinos. The group’s site provides useful research material for those interested in the Illinois gambling industry.
Illinois Gaming Board. The official site for the state gaming board is the definitive resource for legal and regulatory information concerning gambling in Illinois. Get information on meetings, measures, help with problem gambling and self-exclusion along with a wealth of statistical information at the IGB website.
Ill Gambling Bill Governor
ICPG The online home for the Illinois Council on Problem Gambling is a central location providing access to a 24-hour helpline, speakers, and resources for educators, families and players. The ICPG is opposed to poker laws that expand and regulate the industry.
Famous Illinois Poker Players
There are actually a number of points at which the history of poker and the history of Illinois intersect. One example is the story of James Butler Hickok, better known as “Wild Bill.” It was Hickok’s death that gave a name to the now-famous “dead mans hand” – two pair, aces and eights, said to be held by the lawman when he was shot during a poker game.
Another example comes in the colorful tale of Nick “The Greek” Dandolos, who called Chicago home for much of his life. Dandolos was part of the mythic (and much debated) match up with Johnny Moss that is often cited as the template for the World Series of Poker. A final, and more modern, illustration of the shared history between poker and Illinois is author and poker player Jim McManus, who lives in the state.
The plethora of live poker rooms in Illinois have allowed poker players to flourish in Illinois through the years. Even so, many of the state’s most famous players garnered most of their experience online.
Almost all of the top live tournament earners in Illinois were famous first for their online play, like Connor Drinan, Mohsin Charania, Gavin Griffin, and Kevin Saul. Their online poker earnings are not even included in the numbers below, which goes to show how well most of them crossed over from online to live play.
The top-ranked players from Illinois, as of 2019, are as follows:
1. Connor Drinan ($11.3 million)
2. Mohsin Charania ($6.2 million)
3. Gavin Griffin ($5.1 million)
4. Ryan Tosoc ($4.8 million)
5. Aaron Massey ($4.1 million)
6. Jason Wheeler ($4 million)
7. Ravi Raghavan ($4 million)
8. Kevin Saul ($3.7 million)
9. Chris Moor ($3.6 million)
10. Kyle Julius ($3.5 million)
2. Mohsin Charania ($6.2 million)
3. Gavin Griffin ($5.1 million)
4. Ryan Tosoc ($4.8 million)
5. Aaron Massey ($4.1 million)
6. Jason Wheeler ($4 million)
7. Ravi Raghavan ($4 million)
8. Kevin Saul ($3.7 million)
9. Chris Moor ($3.6 million)
10. Kyle Julius ($3.5 million)