Can You Bet Online In Illinois
Online sports betting and in-person sportsbooks are now live in Illinois.
Illinois sports betting sites Legislation was also passed in Illinois in 2019 with the official launch taking place in March 2020. Initially, only retail betting was allowed, with in-person registration required for online and mobile players. That provision has been suspended for the time being because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now Illinoisans can legally gamble online at state-authorized sports betting sites. Furthermore, Illinoisans can play lottery online legally, with the state being the first to allow its residents to buy tickets on the internet and mobile. Still, Illinois continues to take a hard stance against online casino gambling and poker sites. How to Gamble Online in Illinois. If you want to bet on sports online in Illinois, the state’s gambling laws require players to register in person at the casino affiliated with the betting site. This provision is set in place for the first 18 months of legal online sports betting in IL.
- Yes, under an executive order by Governor J.B. Pritzker you may download and register sports betting apps in Illinois. Players can register for Illinois sports betting accounts at DraftKings.com, FanDuel.com, and mobile apps. You are required to be in the state of Illinois and 21 years or older.
- Legal online sports betting launched in Illinois on June 18, 2020, but things are just getting started. Unlike other states that have gone live with multiple online sportsbook offerings, BetRivers is currently the state’s lone online option. At least for now.
Rivers Casino Des Plaines took the first legal Illinois sports wager on March 9, 2020. Online sports betting went live later in the summer of 2020, and for now, accounts can be created from anywhere in the state.
Legal Illinois online sports betting
Here’s where we are right now with online betting in Illinois: You can sign up and wager from anywhere in the state at a number of sports betting apps. But it’s been a winding road to get there, and it may not stay that way.
BetRivers became the first online sportsbook to launch in Illinois on June 18, 2020. For a short time, people in Illinois could register an account online, make a deposit, and immediately start placing bets at BetRivers.
Gov. JB Pritzker responded to the realities of the coronavirus pandemic by issuing an executive ordersuspending the in-person registration requirement. The order superseded the law’s stipulation that people register for online sports betting accounts in-person for the first 18 months.
While he rescinded that order in July, it went back into effect in August, and it’s stayed that way ever since.
Best sports betting apps in Illinois
Online sports betting got off to an interesting start in Illinois in 2020. For now, here are the apps available in the state:
- BetRivers
- DraftKings Sportsbook
- FanDuel Sportsbook
- PointsBet
- William Hill
All are available for people in Illinois to place wagers, but you have to register for an account with the casino or racetrack associated with the sportsbook app.
As major sports start to get back underway in the US following the pandemic, additional Illinois sports betting apps are sure to come online. For now, the options for Illinois residents include:
DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings Sportsbook inked a deal with the Casino Queen in East St. Louis in order to offer sports betting in the state; right now, sportsbooks must partner with a land-based entity to offer mobile wagering. You can currently register your account from anywhere in the state thanks to an order from the governor, instead of having to visit the physical DraftKings at Casino Queen. But that ability could end on Sept. 19, unless the governor renews the order allowing remote registration.
DraftKings has been one of the early leaders in the rapid expansion of US sports betting as it has launched online sportsbooks in a number of states.
FanDuel Sportsbook
FanDuel launched an online sports betting app in the summer of 2020 as well thanks to a deal with Par-A-Dice Casino in East Peoria. After looking like it may stay on the sidelines for a while, FanDuel quickly moved to launch and take advantage of the ability to sign up bettors remotely.
FanDuel is the top sportsbook in the country in terms of revenue and wagers taken.
PointsBet
PointsBet became the fourth app to launch in Illinois when it opened for business in September 2020. The Australian sportsbook opened its doors thanks to a partnership with Hawthorne Race Course, one of Illinois’ three racetracks.
PointsBet is unique in the sports betting landscape thanks to its signature product, the Points Bet. Players bet on an established mark, like a point spread or total, but are rewarded or penalized according to the distance the actual score is from the estimate.
BetRivers
Can You Gamble Online In Illinois
The first sports betting app in Illinois came from Rush Street Interactive, which is the online arm. Would-be bettors have to go to Rivers Casino Des Plaines near Chicago to register their BetRivers accounts under state law, although that is suspended by executive order at the moment.
BetRivers already offered online sports betting in a number of states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
William Hill
One of the most ubiquitous sportsbooks in the legal US market started up its app in Illinois in time to take advantage of wagering during football season. The William Hill platform will feature bonuses and offers competitive with the other mobile IL sports betting apps.