Illinois sports betting: legal sportsbooks & rules for 2026

Is sports betting legal in Illinois?

Yes. Illinois authorized sports wagering in 2019 when Governor J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 690 as part of the broader Rebuild Illinois capital package.

• The first legal retail wager was accepted at Rivers Casino Des Plaines on March 9, 2020.
• Online betting followed on June 18, 2020, when BetRivers became the state's first mobile sportsbook.
• That timing placed Illinois among the early group of large-population states to build both an in-person and statewide mobile market after the federal PASPA ban was struck down.

The early market was more restrictive than the one bettors use today. Illinois originally required a new mobile customer to complete registration at a retail sportsbook before using the corresponding app.

• During the COVID-19 period that requirement was repeatedly suspended, then restored, which created a stop-start experience for bettors and operators.
• The in-person registration rule was permanently removed in March 2022.
• Today, a bettor can create an account remotely, complete identity checks online, fund the account electronically, and place bets from anywhere inside Illinois as long as the sportsbook's geolocation system confirms the device is within state boundaries.

The Illinois Gaming Board regulates the market. Its current public list identifies 14 active, approved sportsbook operations across online and retail channels, including 10 online brands.

• That distinction matters: the number of active sportsbook licenses or retail operations is not the same thing as the number of consumer-facing mobile apps.
• For most readers searching for an app, the practical number is 10.

Legal Illinois sportsbook apps

Illinois currently offers a deep online sportsbook lineup by U.S. standards.

• The Illinois Gaming Board's authorized-operator list includes bet365, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars Sportsbook, Circa Sports, DraftKings, theScore Bet, Fanatics Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, and Hard Rock Bet.
• That mix gives Illinois bettors access to large national operators, high-limit specialists, rewards-focused platforms, and books with strong live-betting menus.

Do not choose an app only because its welcome promotion has the largest headline number.

• Compare the actual qualifying bet, minimum odds, bonus-bet expiration, eligible payment methods, withdrawal process, market depth, and the prices offered on the sports you bet most often.
• Illinois has enough online competition that maintaining accounts with more than one regulated book can make line shopping practical, especially on spreads, totals, props, and live markets.

See our sportsbook reviews directory for full operator testing. If you are opening a new account, read how to claim a sportsbook bonus before depositing so you understand bonus bets, play-through conditions, qualifying odds, and withdrawal rules.

Which sports can you bet on in Illinois?

Illinois sportsbooks offer the major professional sports that drive U.S. betting volume: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, soccer, golf, tennis, MMA, boxing, motorsports, and numerous international leagues. Chicago alone gives the state an unusually dense calendar through the Bears, Bulls, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Sky, Fire, and other professional teams. That year-round schedule is one reason Illinois consistently ranks among the country's highest-volume betting markets.

The college rule needs more care because older Illinois guides are often stale. Current Illinois law generally prohibits a sportsbook from accepting a wager on a sporting event involving an Illinois collegiate team.

• A temporary exception once allowed certain in-person Tier 1 wagers on in-state college teams, but that exception sunsetted.
• The safest current reading is that bettors should not assume they can wager on Illinois, Northwestern, DePaul, Loyola Chicago, Bradley, or another Illinois college team simply by visiting a retail sportsbook.
• Out-of-state college games remain part of the normal sportsbook menu, subject to the operator's approved-market list.

Bet types & live betting in Illinois

Illinois books offer the same core markets found in other large legal states. Moneylines ask who wins outright.

• Point spreads give one side a numerical handicap.
• Totals ask whether the combined score will finish above or below a posted number.
• Parlays combine multiple selections and require every leg to win unless the house rules specify another settlement.
• Player props focus on individual statistics, while futures cover longer-term results such as division, conference, championship, or award outcomes.

Live betting is also a major part of the Illinois market. Odds update during play as score, time, possession, injuries, pitching changes, foul trouble, game state, and other information changes the probability of each outcome.

• Live markets move fast, so bettors should confirm the line, stake, and bet description on the final slip rather than assuming the price shown a few seconds earlier is still available.
• Our live betting guide explains how changing prices and settlement rules affect in-play wagers.

Retail sportsbooks in Illinois

Illinois has a broad retail network attached to casinos and horse-racing properties, and state law has also allowed designated sports facilities to participate. The retail landscape changes more often than many older guides suggest.

• For example, DraftKings opened a high-profile sportsbook at Wrigley Field in 2024, but stopped accepting in-person wagers there after May 31, 2026.
• The venue remained a sports bar, while DraftKings continued its statewide online operation.
• That closure is a good example of why a current regulator list matters more than a static list copied from a launch-era article.

The Illinois Gaming Board's current authorized sportsbook list includes retail operations at Rivers Casino Des Plaines, Par-A-Dice, Grand Victoria Casino, American Place Casino, Casino Queen, Hollywood Casino Aurora, Hard Rock Casino Rockford, Bally Bet in the Quad Cities, Hawthorne Race Course, Hollywood Casino Joliet, Wind Creek Chicago Southland, and other approved facilities tied to licensed operators. Not every online brand has a consumer-facing retail counter, and not every retail book offers a statewide mobile app.

Why Illinois still has no online casino

Illinois does not currently have a regulated real-money online casino market. Sports betting, land-based casinos, video gaming, and other approved gambling products operate under separate legal frameworks, but the state has not enacted a broad Internet casino law comparable with Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, West Virginia, or Rhode Island.

That does not mean legislators have stopped discussing iGaming. In 2026, House Bill 4797 proposed an Internet Gaming Act with licensed online casino platforms and a 25% privilege tax.

• The bill was introduced in February, assigned to the Gaming Committee, and then re-referred to the House Rules Committee on March 27, 2026.
• That is a proposal, not a live market.
• Until legislation passes, regulations are adopted, licenses are issued, and a launch occurs, Illinois bettors should treat regulated online casino as unavailable.

How Illinois compares to other states

Illinois is unusual because it combines huge betting volume with increasingly complex operator taxes. The Illinois Gaming Board reported that the state had 14 active, approved sportsbooks in 2025 and remained the country's second-highest-grossing sports wagering market behind New York.

• Industry totals put 2025 statewide handle above $15.6 billion.
• That scale gives Illinois operators access to an enormous customer base, but the tax structure is much heavier than it was at launch.

Beginning July 1, 2024, Illinois replaced its former flat sportsbook privilege tax with progressive brackets from 20% to 40% of annual adjusted gross receipts.

• Beginning July 1, 2025, online sportsbook licensees also became subject to a per-wager tax: $0.25 for each of their first 20 million annual online wagers and $0.50 for each wager above 20 million.
• Wagers placed in Cook County are also subject to the separate statutory 2% county assessment on adjusted gross receipts.
• The result is one of the more layered tax systems in the U.S.

How to sign up for an Illinois sportsbook

Opening an Illinois sportsbook account is now a remote process. You no longer need to drive to a casino or racetrack just to activate a mobile account. The app will ask for identifying information, perform age and identity checks, and use geolocation to confirm you are inside Illinois when you attempt to place a wager.

Before your first deposit, read our bankroll management guide and betting slip guide. Those two habits - deciding stake size before browsing markets and checking the final slip before confirmation - prevent many avoidable beginner errors.

Taxes and operator fees in Illinois

Sports betting winnings are taxable income, and individual reporting depends on the size and type of winnings, tax forms issued, withholding, itemization, and the bettor's wider tax situation. This page is not personal tax advice. Keep complete records of wagers, deposits, withdrawals, and tax documents, and consult a qualified tax professional when you need filing guidance.

The operator-side system is more unusual. Illinois applies progressive privilege-tax brackets to annual adjusted gross sports wagering receipts and an additional tax to each online wager.

• Because the per-bet tax is imposed on the operator rather than directly on the consumer, books have reacted in different ways - including pricing changes, minimum-wager policies, or customer-facing surcharges.
• The important point for bettors is that tax policy can affect the odds and promotions you actually see.

Related reading

Useful Illinois betting guides

Learn the mechanics behind the markets, compare prices, and keep risk deliberate.

📘How Sports Betting WorksFrom account setup through wager settlement. 📈Understanding Odds & LinesRead moneylines, spreads, totals, and price changes. 🛒Line Shopping StrategyUse Illinois's 10 online brands to compare the number before betting. 🎁Sportsbook Bonus GuideUnderstand bonus bets and promotion restrictions. 🛡️Responsible GamblingSet limits, take breaks, and use self-exclusion tools. 🗺️All State GuidesCompare Illinois with every other legal U.S. market.

Responsible gambling resources

The Illinois Gaming Board requires legal operators to follow responsible-gaming rules and directs customers to statewide support resources.

• A regulated sportsbook should make it possible to review transaction history and set account controls such as deposit, spend, loss, or time limits where supported.
• Those tools are most effective when they are configured before a difficult betting session rather than after losses have already escalated.

FAQ

When did sports betting become legal in Illinois?

Illinois authorized sports wagering in 2019. The first retail sportsbook opened March 9, 2020, and statewide online sports betting followed June 18, 2020.

How many online sportsbooks are legal in Illinois?

The Illinois Gaming Board currently lists 10 online sportsbook brands. Its wider authorized list contains 14 active, approved sportsbook operations across online and retail channels.

Do I still need to register for an Illinois sportsbook in person?

No. The old in-person registration requirement ended in March 2022. Account creation can now be completed remotely, although bettors must still be physically located in Illinois to place wagers.

Can I bet on Illinois college teams?

Current Illinois law generally prohibits wagers on sports events involving an Illinois collegiate team. A former temporary retail exception has expired, so older pages saying in-state teams remain available at retail books should not be treated as current guidance.

What is Illinois's sportsbook tax rate?

Illinois uses progressive rates from 20% to 40% on annual adjusted gross sports wagering receipts. Online sportsbooks also owe a per-wager tax of $0.25 for their first 20 million annual online wagers and $0.50 for wagers above that level.

Does Illinois have legal online casino gaming?

No. Real-money online casino gaming is not currently legal in Illinois. A 2026 Internet Gaming Act proposal was introduced but had not become law as of this guide's September 2026 fact check.

Official sources and fact-checking

The operator list, age requirement, college restriction, tax tiers, per-wager tax, and iGaming bill status were checked against current Illinois Gaming Board and Illinois General Assembly materials.

• Illinois Gaming Board - authorized operating sportsbooks
• Illinois Gaming Board - current market overview and responsible gambling resources
• 230 ILCS 45/25-25 - age, location and collegiate wagering restrictions
• 230 ILCS 45/25-90 - progressive tax and per-wager tax
• HB 4797 - 2026 Internet Gaming Act proposal status

Last fact-checked: September 15, 2026.

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