Online Casinos in Illinois & IL Gambling Laws 2024

If you are looking to gamble in Illinois, the rules have been changing in recent years. A wave of gambling expansion has taken place across the state. However, there has not yet been any legalization of online casinos in Illinois. Therefore, people will still have to use offshore platforms to play their favorite online casino games.

This guide looks at all of the important aspects of playing at the best online casinos in Illinois.

Top 3 Online Casinos in Illinois, IL in 2024

If you are visiting or living in the state of Illinois, then you have a lot of different online casino options to choose from. A regulated sector doesn’t look like it will be too far away, but until then you can use these other platforms.

Through our research, we have picked out the best of these available options, providing you with some nice choices. Here are three online casinos in Illinois that have a good reputation for their great games, lucrative bonus offers and their trustworthiness:

  • Slot Title
  • Pay Back
  • Key Features
Welcome Offer Up To $3,000

  • Payout rate: 97.89%
  • Payout Speed: 2-4 days
Welcome Offer Up To $3,000Play NowOur score:
Welcome Offer Up To $3,000
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Welcome Bonus Up to $5,000

  • Payout rate: 97.92%
  • Payout Speed: 1-2 days
Welcome Bonus Up to $5,000Play NowOur score:
Welcome Bonus Up to $5,000
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200% Welcome Bonus of Up to $2,000

  • Payout rate: 91%
  • Payout Speed: 1-2 days
200% Welcome Bonus of Up to $2,000Play NowOur score:
200% Welcome Bonus of Up to $2,000
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Are Online Casinos in Illinois Legal? No!

Illinois has been going through significant gambling expansion over the past few years. While there is still progress to be made, this is going a long way to bringing the state into a modern framework for gambling.

This open attitude to the sector has not always been present. However, with nearby Indiana sucking out a lot of gambling revenues from Illinois and other states seeing a lot of success with gambling expansion, Illinois is finally getting in on the action. The lottery itself has been a massive earner for Illinois, generating about $2.8 billion worth of ticket sales each and every month. However, there is no longer any access to multi-state lotteries such as Powerball.Online Casinos in Illinois

For many years, riverboat casinos were the only form of casino gambling allowable in the state. There were ten licenses for these facilities, including the notable Grand Victoria Casino. Other areas with riverboats include Alton, Argosy, Hollywood Casino Aurora and East Peoria. Recent legislation allows for the development of a number of Illinois casinos, including a potential hotel casino in or around the city of Chicago. It will see a similar set up to those of Jumer’s Casino & Hotel Rock Island, Harrah’s Metropolis or Casino Queen in east St. Louis.

Currently there are no tribal gaming facilities in the state, but a number of tribes are looking to get involved with the new casino projects in the state.

There are allowable forms of gambling for charities, with horse race wagering being legal for many years. There are four main racetracks in the state, each allowing for pari-mutuel betting.

Sports betting is also now legal in Illinois, allowing residents to place bets both at retail sportsbooks and through online platforms, with daily fantasy sports (DFS) also legalized by senate. With the state residents being big sports fans, this was a natural move when it was legalized in 2019 and these platforms and retail sportsbooks went live in 2020.

For poker fans, there are a number of poker rooms dotted around the state, but no online poker. Video gaming terminals are also big business in Illinois, being located at the likes of bars, truck stops and other types of establishments.

Is online gambling legal in Illinois?

When sports betting was legalized in Illinois in 2019, this allowed for the launch of the first state online sportsbooks through Illinois Gaming Board licenses. These platforms first started to launch in the summer of 2020 in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was just in time for the return of many major sports following pandemic-related cancellations. Some of the big names in or eyeing up the space includes Rivers Casino’ BetRivers brand, FanDuel and DraftKings.

For some time, Illinois residents have been able to place horse racing bets online. While there are currently no gambling act or laws in place that legalize and regulate online poker or online casinos in Illinois, this may change in the coming years as lawmakers get familiar with legal online sports betting.

Our Recommended Online Casino in Illinois

Our Rating

  • Over 300 games
  • Great mobile and desktop gameplay
  • Large selection of payment methods
  • Deposit bonus of $1,000
Ignition Casino

Top 3 online casino sites in Illinois

Legal online casinos in IL will not be a reality in the short term, so you will need to settle for offshore gambling sites instead. This does not really matter as the quality of these platforms is usually very good.

This allows you to play on your desktop or through mobile casinos, providing you with great flexibility when you want to play some of the best casino games. Here are a few of these best online casinos in Illinois today:

1. Ignition Casino - Quality Bitcoin site (Deposit bonus up to $1,000)

Ignition Casino has been around since 2016 and is licensed in Curacao. It is a great looking platform that is powered by a joint effort by RealTime Gaming and Rival Gaming.

There are hundreds of different games for you to checkout, with many high-profile titles on offer such as Mystic Wolf and Gods of Luxor. This includes massively lucrative progressive jackpots that allow you the chance to win big off small stakes.

You also have a lot of choices with video poker, table games and even bingo. All major payment methods are supported on the site, as well as the likes of Bitcoin. Across the board, there is a consistent and smooth playing experience when you are using Ignition Casino on both desktop and mobile devices. For new signups, the first deposit bonus is worth up to $1,000

Our Rating

  • Over 300 games
  • Great mobile and desktop gameplay
  • Large selection of payment methods
  • Deposit bonus of $1,000
  • Limited table game choice

2. Slots.lv Casino - Over 400 titles ($5,000 welcome bonus)

Slots.lv Casino launched in 2012 and it has quickly developed into one of the best offshore online casinos in Illinois. Holding a license with the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, you have more than 400 titles to check out. NetEnt is one of the great game developers that provides titles on this site, including many leading online slots. This is always a good indicator that you are dealing with a quality offering.

Table games and video poker have many interesting variants on offer, meaning that there will never be a dull moment. The live casino is perhaps the best aspect of Slots.lv Casino. You have plenty of game options, as well as a nice betting limit range. Withdrawals tend to be quick and there is 24/7 customer support. For new Illinois players at Slots.lv Casino, there is a welcome package of up to $5,000 available.

Our Rating

  • Large game library
  • Top-notch live casino
  • Welcome bonus offer up to $5,000
  • Around the clock customer support
  • No mobile app

3. BoVegas Casino - Focuses on quality (Welcome offer up to $2,000)

BoVegas Casino started its operation in 2016 and it is a fan favorite among many Illinois natives. This platform is powered by RealTime Gaming and it holds a license in Curacao. There are hundreds of different games that make up the BoVegas Casino game library. Some of the leading video slot machines that you can try out include Cleopatra’s Gold an Aztec’s Millions.

You also have tons of different table games and video poker options to get stuck into. For live dealer fans, this side of the offering is well-stocked and the betting limits are a good fit for both high rollers and small stakes players. What’s more, the gameplay experience on mobile and desktop is top-quality. While the site design seems a bit old, this takes nothing away from performance levels. For those signing up for a new BoVegas Casino account. There is a welcome offer package allowing you to get a bonus of as high as $2,000.

Our Rating

  • Nice range of games
  • Welcome offer up to $2,000
  • Seamless mobile and desktop gameplay
  • Quality over quantity
  • Design is a bit old

How we rate the best Illinois online casinos

In order to gauge the merits of different online casinos in Illinois, you need to consider a number of different metrics. Some of these areas will need more emphasis and research than other areas might need.

Ultimately, we have learned after conducting hundreds of reviews over time about what main characteristics in an online casino need to be looked at. It is vital that the review process is fair and objective, allowing us to quickly and easily compare different platforms with each other. Here are some of those most useful areas to looking at when assessing online casinos in Illinois:

  • Selection of game types
  • Depth of games for each game type
  • Welcome bonus offer
  • Mobile performance
  • Rewards offerings
  • Current player promotions
  • How easy the platform is to use
  • Customer support
  • Payment methods
  • Gameplay quality
  • Licensing
  • Security protocols
  • Disclaimer

What to consider when choosing an online casino

Once you have developed a shortlist of online casinos in Illinois, you will then be ready to narrow this down further into one or two different operators. To do so, you will need to rank your priorities and make sure that these needs are met by a given site. Here are some of the most important aspects that you want to consider:

legal standing

While these online casinos will not be regulated in-state, you want to see if they have licenses in other jurisdictions. It is important that you are using a trustworthy platform that honors withdrawals and has fair games.

Customer support

If you run into a problem with an online casino, it is important that you resolve it pretty quickly. This is why you need to check what support options, availability and quality is present on a platform.

Promotions

It is always enjoyable when you get a bonus offer, with welcome packages being a highlight of signing up to a new platform. There are also promotions for existing players, as well as rewards programs.

Payout rates

While you enjoy playing casino games, people also put real money on the line and want to earn a decent return. You can check the payout rate of a given casino to see what your overall chances of winning may be.

Payment methods

You want to make sure that you have access to your preferred payment methods when signing up for an account. This includes having no fees and fast processing times.

Software providers

There are many leading game developers in the sector today. You can quickly see the quality of a game library by seeing what game developers supply titles.

The future of online gambling in Illinois

There is progress being made with Illinois online gambling. There has been legal online horse racing betting available for some time, with online sports betting now also being a reality.

With new casinos set to be developed around the state also, the appetitive for gambling expansion and legal online casino gambling has never been greater in Illinois. When the rewards start rolling in, it seems like it will only be a matter of time before online casinos in Illinois becomes legal and regulated for all to enjoy.

Where else is gambling legal in the US?

Online gambling is rapidly spreading around the country. Sports betting is leading this charge in a lot of cases, easing many areas into getting familiar with gambling online. Nearby Michigan will be one of the latest states to launch online offerings. While online casinos are present in a few states, this list looks like it will start to rapidly grow in the next few years. Some of the states really benefitting at the moment include New Jersey, Iowa and Pennsylvania.

There are so many perks associated with these types of platforms that states will see that the pros of legalization to outweigh the potential cons. Tax revenues and eliminating the black market are just two of the great benefits. To have a look to see what the situation with online gambling in a given state currently may be, you can check out the interactive map below:

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY DC

Play the best casino games online

For fans of casino games, there are plenty of options available when you sign up for online casinos in Illinois. If you are a completely newcomer to these types of offerings or you want to brush up your skills, you can check out a number of the useful guides on the different game types such as roulette, slots, Texas Hold’em, blackjack and baccarat:

Bottom line on Online Casinos in Illinois

A wave of gambling expansion is present in Illinois. While no online casinos in the state are regulated, there plenty of offshore options for you to avail of instead. These provide you with the opportunity to play great casino games no matter where in the state you may be. The process of getting started takes no time at all and you can access great bonuses to kick off your new account in style.

Casinos in Illinois FAQs

What is the legal gambling age in Illinois?

The rules in Illinois for the likes of sports betting is pretty strict as you have to be at least 21 years old to place bets. This is often 18 years old in a lot of other states. To play at casino properties, you also need to be 21 years old. For those who want to take part in the Illinois lottery, you can buy tickets once you are at least 18 years old.

Are there any Indian casinos in Illinois?

Currently, you will not find any tribal gaming facilities in Illinois. While there have been many attempts over the years to introduce these types of facilities, none have been successful. With new Illinois casino developments on the way, a number of tribes are vying to be the operators of one or more of these facilities.

Can you play casino games for free in Illinois?

One of the great advantages of online casinos in Illinois is that you are able to play most of the games for free if you wish to do so. While having money on the line adds to the excitement of gambling, if you want to learn about a new type of online gaming or test out a new strategy, playing it for free can be a preferable strategy.

Are there casinos in Illinois?

Currently, there are only limited forms of casinos in Illinois. These are mainly riverboat gambling casinos that are dotted around the state. There are some smaller poker rooms and areas where you can play video gaming machines. However, a number of casinos are set to be developed around the state as part of a new gambling expansion plan.

Can you play casino games on your mobile in Illinois?

Most of the offshore online casinos in Illinois will allow you to play games through your mobile device. Some of them give you the option to download an app in order to do so, while most will have a mobile casino site that you can access through your web browser on your mobile phone.

About Andrew O'Malley

Alex has been writing about the gambling industry for more than five years, covering everything from sports betting to casinos and poker. With the sector constantly evolving, he loves nothing better than staying up to date with the latest movers and shakers in the space.