Online casinos in Illinois
When it comes to online casinos, Illinois is still lagging behind many of its fellow states. Casinos are still illegal in the Prairie State but thankfully, you’ll find plenty of social casinos.
On this page, we provide you with all the info you need about online casinos in Illinois, including the bonuses you can find, which social casinos have the best online gambling, and more.
Let’s dive right in, starting with our rankings of the best social Illinois online casinos:
| Casino Logo | Odds rating | Bonus | Go to casino Button | Show more | T&C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
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94/100 Expert rating by Anna M. 92% Playscore based on |
1.5 million WOW Coins + 30 free Sweepstakes Coins
|
Play now |
Good to know
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2
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88/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 96% Playscore based on |
250,000 Gold Coins and $25 Stake Cash
|
Play now |
Good to know
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3
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87/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 84% Playscore based on |
Up to 367,000 Gold Coins + 32.3 free Sweepstakes Coins
|
Play now |
Good to know
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4
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84/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 89% Playscore based on |
27,777 Lucky Coins + 2 Sweeps Coins
|
Play now |
Good to know
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5
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80/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 86% Playscore based on |
Daily Free Spins and Credit Bonus
|
Play now |
Good to know
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6
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79/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 92% Playscore based on |
Up to 380,000 Gold Coins and 1,400 Fortune Coins
|
Play now |
Good to know
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7
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79/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 85% Playscore based on |
200 free spins + 25,000 free credits
|
Play now |
Good to know
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8
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79/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 79% Playscore based on |
250 Gold Coins + 5 Sweeps Coins and 600 Diamonds
|
Play now |
Good to know
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9
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78/100 Expert rating by Charlie S. 86% Playscore based on |
1,050,000 Gold Coins + 3,999 Sweeps Coins
|
Play now |
Good to know
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10
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77/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 79% Playscore based on |
Up to 775,000 free coins and 700 promotional entries
|
Play now |
Good to know
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11
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76/100 Expert rating by Charlie S. 87% Playscore based on |
88,000 Tao Coins
|
Play now |
Good to know
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These rankings are based on sweepstakes casinos and are all legal options in Illinois. Regarding real money online casinos, Illinois online gambling regulation still maintains that these are illegal, and therefore we cannot recommend them. If you ever see a real money online casino operating in Illinois, stay as far away as possible.
Online slots in Illinois and other popular casino games
Where would Illinois online casinos be without their games? Even though the state only allows for sweepstakes online casinos, Illinois still offers plenty of slots. We’re here to help break these online casino games down for you, to help you understand what’s popular and why.
From online slots, table games like online roulette, live games, and even poker (at sweeps sites such as Global Poker), you can find all these and more at sweepstakes casinos. Illinois hasn’t illegalized having fun just yet, so let’s look at these online casino games and why they’re worth playing.
Online slots IL
These are the most popular online gambling games and for good reason. They’re the same as your average real money online casino slot, except you’re betting with free virtual currency rather than using real coins. You’ll find plenty of these at every social casino, though we recommend Pulsz for its massive selection. You can also check out our online slots page for more info.
Live dealer games
If you’re looking for more excitement, you can try live dealer games. These would usually be your standard table games, such as blackjack or poker, but with a live dealer to add some tension to the mix. These can be a bit harder to find at online social casinos; however, BetRivers offers a nice selection of live dealers. You can also check out our page on live dealers for more info.
Poker
One of the big three. Few things are more popular than online poker. Illinois is no exception, with plenty of social casinos offering different types of poker. Nothing beats Global Poker, though, which offers weekly tournaments and a variety of poker games, including Texas Hold’Em, Omaha, Bounty Poker, and more.
Table games
The secret is in the name; if it’s played on a table, it’s here. You’ve got blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat – the list goes on. Most social casinos will offer some small variation of these, though finding live games will be even harder. Still, BetRivers has an outstanding selection, so we’d recommend checking them out first.IL online casino bonuses — what promos can you claim?
We’re all suckers for a good deal. When it comes to choosing which social online casino to play at, more often than not, it comes down to the bonuses.
There are plenty of online casino bonus types, so we’ll cover the most prominent ones here. Some are pretty straightforward. A free spin bonus lets you spin a wheel for free, with different goodies rewarded depending on what comes up. Some social casinos will give out free credits every day just for logging in, and some will reward free credits for something as simple as mailing them a request.
There’s also the sweepstakes online no deposit, which is a bit of a misleading name. Technically, all social casinos are no deposit since you don’t need any money to play at them. What players usually get are credits for signing up.
We’ve listed the best social casino for each bonus type below, so feel free to click on them and check them out:
| Casino Logo | Odds rating | Bonus | Go to casino Button | Show more | T&C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
79/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 85% Playscore based on |
200 free spins + 25,000 free credits
|
Play now players accepted |
Good to know
|
|
|
2
|
79/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 92% Playscore based on |
Up to 380,000 Gold Coins and 1,400 Fortune Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
Good to know
|
|
|
3
|
80/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 86% Playscore based on |
Daily Free Spins and Credit Bonus
|
Play now players accepted |
Good to know
|
|
|
1
|
98/100 Expert rating by Anna M. 92% Playscore based on |
1.5 million WOW Coins + 30 free Sweepstakes Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
Good to know
|
|
|
2
|
95/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 96% Playscore based on |
250,000 Gold Coins and $25 Stake Cash
|
Play now players accepted |
Good to know
|
|
|
3
|
91/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 84% Playscore based on |
Up to 367,000 Gold Coins + 32.3 free Sweepstakes Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
Good to know
|
|
|
4
|
90/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 85% Playscore based on |
200 free spins + 25,000 free credits
|
Play now players accepted |
Good to know
|
|
|
5
|
87/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 92% Playscore based on |
Up to 380,000 Gold Coins and 1,400 Fortune Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
Good to know
|
|
|
6
|
87/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 89% Playscore based on |
27,777 Lucky Coins + 2 Sweeps Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
Good to know
|
|
|
7
|
86/100 Expert rating by Charlie S. 87% Playscore based on |
88,000 Tao Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
Good to know
|
|
|
8
|
85/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 86% Playscore based on |
Daily Free Spins and Credit Bonus
|
Play now players accepted |
Good to know
|
|
|
9
|
80/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 79% Playscore based on |
Up to 775,000 free coins and 700 promotional entries
|
Play now players accepted |
Good to know
|
|
|
10
|
80/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 79% Playscore based on |
250 Gold Coins + 5 Sweeps Coins and 600 Diamonds
|
Play now players accepted |
Good to know
|
|
|
11
|
80/100 Expert rating by Charlie S. 86% Playscore based on |
1,050,000 Gold Coins + 3,999 Sweeps Coins
|
Play now players accepted |
Good to know
|
What’s legal in Illinois?
Currently, online casinos in Illinois are illegal. Compared to WV online casinos or NJ online casinos, it’s lagging massively behind on gambling legislation.
However, there are plenty of other things that are legal throughout the Prairie State. The Illinois Gaming Board has been hard at work legalizing and approving all manner of things, and perhaps it’s only a matter of time before they finalize affairs for online casino registration.
This section will take a quick dive into the past, to show you exactly what has been legalized, and when this happened. With this information, we will better understand how fast Illinois operates and when it might finally legalize online Illinois casinos.
1974
State-sanctioned lottery is approved in Illinois, starting the long journey of online gambling games in the state.
1990
Riverboat casinos are legalized throughout the state, with the caveat that they must stay in motion.
1999
The requirement for riverboat casinos to constantly be in motion is removed, allowing them to dock and have semi-permanent places ashore.
2012
When Illinois realized the world wasn’t going to end this year, they celebrated by approving online lottery ticket sales. Mega Millions and Lotto tickets officially hit the internet.
2019
Sportsbetting at casinos and via the internet is approved, as well as a new mega-casino in Chicago that is still being built to this day.
2020
The first online sportsbooks open in the Prairie State.
2021
Online casino legislation is introduced, making the first step in officially legalizing online Illinois casinos.
This picture paints a bright future for online gambling sites in Illinois. Not only has this state taken big steps in the past concerning online gambling, such as the state lottery way back in 1974, but Illinois has also been relatively quick, having online sportsbooks running just a year after approval.
With online casino legislation introduced in 2021, and considering how fast Illinois has been in the past, we expect online Illinois casinos to be approved shortly. So stay tuned for when that happens.
How the state is benefiting from casinos
Illinois tax laws are admittedly quite harsh. Depending on gross revenue, a casino might have to pay anywhere between 22.5% and 74.7% in tax for its slot games. Likewise, table games also fluctuate between 15% and 35% in tax depending on revenue. The graph here illustrates the top tax possible, as well as how much money is going back to the state for public projects.
Illinois offline casinos
Online casinos may be illegal, but there are plenty of land-based Illinois casinos to try your luck at. With plenty of riverboat casinos now having a permanent residence here and a mega-casino in Chicago up and coming, things are certainly looking bright for this state.
Some of these Illinois casinos also have online sports betting and online sports betting apps and sweeps apps, which have been legalized in the Praire State. So if you want to also try your hand at some NFL bets, then apps are an excellent place to start..
Below are the 5 best offline Illinois casinos that we believe you guys will enjoy.
Harrah’s Joliet
If you want to make a trip out of your gaming experience, then this is the place. Stay at the 200-room hotel, complete with buffet, and then head to the casino to try your hand at over 1,000 slot machines. There’s also blackjack, craps, and roulette, amongst several other table games at the casino.
Hollywood Casino Aurora
Operating 24/7, this ambitious casino will soon open the Aurora sportsbook for legal sports betting in Illinois. If it’s games you’re looking for, this riverboat casino comes packed with over 1,000 slot machines, as well as blackjack, baccarat, and even a poker room.
Argosy Casino Alton
One of the forerunners of gambling in Illinois, this riverboat casino opened one of the state’s first sportsbooks in 2020. If the 36 TVs and odd-display monitors don’t charm you, then you can be wooed by the many slot machines available and blackjack, 3-card poker, and roulette.
Rivers Casino
Another 24-hour casino, and home of the famous BetRivers sportsbook. This casino has 1,100 slot machines and your standard casino table games. You can even game to some live music, with DJs coming in every weekend at 10 pm.
Casino Queen
This casino is perfect for the hungry consumer, having 4 restaurants, including Prime Steakhouse. For those wishing to play games, there are plenty of slots and high-stakes areas, as well as 3-card poker, Texas Hold ‘Em, and baccarat.
How to choose Illinois online casinos
Our experts have made a list of all the best online casinos for sweepstakes and social gaming on this page. We have listed all the things we factor in when identifying the best sites. Here’s a full breakdown of how we rate casinos so that you can make your own mind up about where to play:
Slots
A casino without slots would be pretty pointless. We expect any self-respecting casino to have a massive variety of slots. If a land-based casino can stuff in over 1,000 slot machines, we don’t see why an online casino can’t also do the same thing. We also look at the different types of slots on offer, if there are any demos for these slots, and if they come from trusted providers. It’s not just about quantity; we want quality as well. For some more info, check out the section on online slots.
Other games
Casinos need a good variety of other games as well. We expect to see a decent variety of table games such as online blackjack Illinois and live games for poker and other table games. Craps online casinos are even rarer, so bonus points if any of them offer it. We also want to see some good payouts as well. Just because fake virtual currency is used in social casinos, it doesn’t mean they can skimp on payouts.
Bonuses
As always, the bonuses are a massive factor in pushing a casino from ‘good’ to ‘best’. We went into a lot of detail in the bonuses section, but the main idea is ‘the more, the merrier’. We want to see daily bonuses, including daily free spins and free credits, as well as a few other bonuses like registration bonuses and credits on mail requests. We also want the terms to be readily available for all these bonuses, as we hate when some obscure and inane condition spoils our bonus.
Full offering
This pretty much covers ‘everything else’ that might affect the user’s experience. Anything from the look of the website, the availability on mobile, the software being fast and glitch-free, and even 24/7 customer support. These things may seem small, but they all help to push a site further and further up the ranks. If a casino wants to be the best, then it needs to have all of these things.
Other products
It’s nice when a casino isn’t just a casino. We don’t expect every casino to offer things like sportsbooks, lottery, or poker, but it sure is nice when we see it. These extra products help push a casino up the rankings list, such as BetRivers offering bingo and a sportsbook on its social casino site.
Payments and withdrawals
Since online casinos are illegal in Illinois, this concerns online sportsbooks or even land-based casinos. We expend to see a bunch of payment providers available, including all the usual suspects such as Visa casinos and Mastercard. We expect transaction times to be fast and limits to be low. Social casinos do have some transactions but are limited. Therefore they usually have fewer providers available and generally stick only to the well-known ones. Still, it’s always nice to see a social casino have plenty of options in this department.
FAQs
Can I play at online casinos in Illinois?
You can only play at social casinos, as real-money online casinos are still illegal in Illinois. There are plenty of great social casinos to choose from, and you can check out our rankings list for the best social casinos in the state.
Are online slots legal in Illinois?
If they’re from social casinos and use their virtual currency, then they are. There are loads of game types legal in Illinois on social casinos, such as slots, table games, live dealer games, and even poker. For a full breakdown, head on over to our slots section.
Are there any land-based sites in Illinois?
Whilst online casinos are illegal, land-based casinos have been legal for quite some time. Riverboat casinos in Illinois have been chugging along since 1990, and many of them come with hotels, restaurants, and even sportsbooks. For the best offline casinos in the state, check out our section on land-based casinos.
How does the state benefit from casinos?
Casinos can be very good for a state, as they can bring in a ton of tax revenue. Last year, Illinois made over $315 million in tax revenue from casinos. This money can then be sent back to the players through state-funded projects, such as schools, hospitals, and parks. Check out our tax breakdown for a complete look at how Illinois benefits from casinos.
How can I research online gambling sites in Illinois?
It’s always important to be able to do your research when it comes to online casinos. We left a full research breakdown for you, showing you how we rate casinos, from slots to bonuses, table games, and even payment providers. Use this breakdown to do your research and stay safe online.