Can I Bet Online In Illinois
Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome. The frequency of sports bet upon varies by culture, with the vast majority of bets being placed on association football, American football, basketball, baseball, hockey, track cycling, auto racing, mixed martial arts, and boxing at both the amateur and professional levels. Illinois sports betting launched in March 2020, and retail sportsbooks were the only option at that time. Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Illinois, was the first to offer retail sports betting. Illinois online sports betting came along in June, and at the end of 2020, there were five online sports betting options available. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
Illinois law makes it illicit for a company to run online sites that let players bet on games of chance or skill. However, you will not face any legal persecution if you switch on your computer. How to Bet Sports Online in Illinois. A person must be at least 21 years old to bet in person or online on sports in the state of Illinois. There are two ways to bet on sports. First, following the July 1 reopening of casinos, a person can visit one of the state’s seven locations that have been granted a master license.
Online sports betting and in-person sportsbooks are now live in Illinois.
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 The order superseded the law’s stipulation that people register for online sports betting accounts in-person for the first 18 months.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
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.
How To Bet Online In Illinois
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.