Online sports betting is legal in Illinois.
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Yes. Illinois sports betting is legal online and in person. Governor JB Pritzker signed the Sports Wagering Act in June 2019 as part of a wider gaming expansion, and the first legal bets were placed in March 2020 at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, the flagship property of the company behind BetRivers. The Illinois Gaming Board licenses operators and enforces the rules, and bettors must be at least 21.
For its first two years, Illinois required new customers to register in person at a casino before betting online, a rule that was suspended at times during the pandemic. Remote registration became permanent in March 2022, and since then the state has grown into one of the largest betting markets in the country.
All three of the US sportsbooks we review are licensed in Illinois: BetMGM, bet365 and BetRivers. BetRivers has particularly deep roots in the state through Rivers Casino, while BetMGM and bet365 bring large prop menus and strong in-play coverage. With so many licensed operators, comparing odds before you bet is easy and worthwhile.
You can sign up anywhere, but you must be physically in Illinois to place a wager. Bettors in the Chicago suburbs near the Indiana and Wisconsin lines should be aware that geolocation checks can be sensitive close to the border.
Since July 2025 Illinois has charged online operators a fee on every individual bet, on top of its tax on revenue: 25 cents per wager for the first 20 million bets in a fiscal year and 50 cents per wager after that. Several sportsbooks responded by adding a small per-bet charge for customers or raising minimum stakes, so check each app's terms before you bet. A 2026 bill to repeal the per-wager tax did not pass.
Online betting on Illinois college teams is not permitted, so Illinois, Northwestern, Loyola Chicago and other in-state schools will not appear on licensed apps. Winnings are taxed at Illinois's flat 4.95% income tax rate and are also reportable federally.
The Bears, Cubs, White Sox, Bulls, Blackhawks, Fire and Sky give Illinois bettors a home team to follow in almost every season. Wrigley Field even has its own sportsbook next door, a sign of how mainstream legal betting has become in the city.
Illinois offers a statewide self-exclusion programme through the Gaming Board, and confidential help is available at 1-800-GAMBLER. Use the deposit limits and reality checks built into every licensed app.
Online sports betting is legal in Illinois.
You must be at least 21 years old to place a sports bet in Illinois.
Licensed sportsbooks in Illinois include BetMGM, bet365, BetRivers.
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