Illinois Online Gambling 2022: Best Casinos + Law Updates

Chicago has seemingly been progressing online gambling in Illinois all on its own.

Land-based casinos have been up-and-running for some time, and Chicago will be home to a brand-new luxury location in the coming years.

So, where exactly does the state of Illinois stand on online gambling? We’ll look closer into that, including our top-ranked legal online casinos in Illinois, provide a how to gamble online in Illinois guide, and cover legalities involving online poker and sports betting.

What Are The Best Illinois Real-Money Gambling Sites?

Wild Casino

If you’re brand new to the best online betting sites in Illinois, look no further than Wild Casino. The most important things you’ll want to look for are the moors betting online, banking method information, promotions, and customer service.

Not only does Wild Casino have all of these, but finding them is as easy as looking at a collapsible drop-down menu in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

You’ll find the moors betting online immediately arriving at the site.

As for the bonuses, you’ll have a $5,000 welcome bonus or a $9,000 welcome bonus if you use Bitcoin.

Pros

Cons

El Royale

If you’re looking for a place to play slot moors betting online, El Royale is perhaps the best real-money online casino in Illinois to visit.

Not only is this because of the massive library with hundreds of titles, but also it’s the bonuses and promotions. As of July 2022, six different promotions are available, and almost all of them involve receiving free spins and/or a deposit bonus.

On top of this, the site is easy to navigate, with links to the moors betting online, promotions, and banking at the top left-hand corner of the page.

Pros

Cons

Bovada

You may have heard of Bovada before, but we’d be willing to bet it was because of the online sportsbook platform — yes, online sports betting in Illinois is allowed!

However, it’s also home to the No. 3 best online casino in Illinois.

Wild Casino and El Royale are fantastic pure casinos. Still, Bovada offers a good portion of what they have in addition to online sports betting.

Bovada has 150+ moors betting online and has a good variation on table moors betting online. The welcome bonus is a bit smaller than competitors. Still, there are more ways to gamble, including legal online poker in Illinois.

Pros

Cons

Las Atlantis

We quoted El Royale as perhaps the best online slot casino in Illinois, but Las Atlantis is right there with it.

Like El Royale, there are numerous promotions to utilize for slots. Still, the headline offer is the welcome bonus with up $14,000 in value for slots.

Additionally, the site launched in 2020, so you’ll be playing an online casino in Illinois that’s more updated than the others.

However, the moors betting online beyond slots are pretty minimal.

Pros

Cons

DuckyLuck

DuckyLuck is almost an incredible amalgamation of the online casinos in Illinois mentioned previously.

The game library is solid, and the welcome bonus is less than $2,500 in total value. Still, there are intriguing offers, such as the possibility of winning a trip to Costa Rica.

Further, DuckyLuck has an excellent rewards program to take part in if you plan on playing regularly. This program includes cashback, weekly rewards, and even birthday surprises.

Pros

Cons

How We Rank Illinois Online Gambling Sites

Safety & Security

If you don’t feel safe and secure playing at an online casino, well, there’s no point in playing there at all, right?

Still, the other thing we look for that’s non-negotiable is that the online casino must have a license to operate. The license is essential because it demonstrates that a governing body has given the OK for the online casino and is another point of contact should you have issues with it.

Casino Games

While the number of moors betting online is important, we also look for variety. Slots always dominate the library no matter what online casino you play at.

That’s true, but what about table moors betting online, video poker, and live dealer moors betting online?

One version of blackjack or roulette is better than nothing, but the more variations offered, the better.

Live dealer moors betting online are growing in popularity by the day, so when an online casino offers them, that’s a massive bonus as this game mode gives players the closest thing to an in-person experience at a land-based casino that’s possible without physically being there.

Casino Bonuses

If you can wager on casino moors betting online using bonus funds that can result in you winning more money, that’s a no-brainer.

Most welcome bonuses are fairly standard — it’s a deposit bonus. We look for the percentage match, the total monetary amount, and also how many deposits it stretches across.

From there, we look at the other promotions. Having something else to look forward to after you’ve completed the welcome bonus is important, and the best online casinos have some kind of additional offers, whether it’s rebates or free spins.

Banking Methods

Generally speaking, when it comes to banking methods, the more, the merrier. The more options available for players to deposit and withdraw are only ever a good thing.

We also look to see if any fees are needed to deposit or withdraw. While this isn’t a death knell for an online casino in Illinois by any means, it’s certainly somewhat disappointing.

UI/Mobile Design

Suppose we cannot go onto an online casino site and find the moors betting online, promotions, banking, and customer support within a couple of minutes or less. In that case, that’s a massive red flag. This information is vital to securing a positive experience at an online casino. We can assure you that all of the online casinos we’ve listed have a user interface design such that you’ll find this information quickly.

As far as aesthetics, this is a nice bonus. After all, who doesn’t like to play at a nice-looking site?

Next, after all of this, we go to the mobile site. We look for consistency from desktop to mobile, such as it is close to a “carbon copy” of the desktop site. This eliminates an unnecessary learning curve.

Mobile is likely going to be where you spend most of your time playing, after all.

Customer Support

Over the last few years, evaluating customer service options was done by looking to see if a live chat option was available. Today, live chat customer service is incredibly common.

So, we engage with these representatives on live chat, email, or phone to see how responsive, educated, and helpful they are.

If you’re not receiving prompt, accurate, and helpful service, what’s the point?

We can assure you that Wild Casino, El Royale, Bovada, Las Atlantis, and DuckyLuck all check out positively.

Is Online Gambling Legal in Illinois?

Gambling online at casinos based outside of Illinois is completely legal.

As for in-state based online casinos, as of July 2022, there hasn’t been any Illinois online casino legislation passed to allow for the in-state operation of online gambling sites outside of sports betting.

So, are online casinos legal in Illinois? What are the Illinois online gambling laws?

Playing at an online gambling site, such as those seen here, aren’t only available, but we’ve determined they’re also some of the safest and best online casinos to play at after conducting extensive reviews.

*Online casinos based outside of IL

Is Online Sports Gambling Legal in Illinois?

Sports betting has been legal in Illinois since March 2020. However, the launch was pushed back due to the global pandemic, and the first online sports betting sites went live in the state on June 18, 2020. Until March 5, 2022, residents of Illinois had to physically visit the land-based partner of an online casino to create an account, but as of July 2022, you can do it online.

Is Online Poker Legal in Illinois?

If you want to play online poker, you can when engaging with online platforms outside of Illinois.

In-state operation of online poker isn’t available in Illinois. However, you can, for example, engage with online poker at any of our recommended sites where it’s offered.

Are Land-Based Casinos Legal in Illinois?

Land-based casinos are perfectly legal and operating in Illinois. The first legislation involving riverboat casinos passed in February 1990, followed by the first site launching in September 1991.

The first land-based casino, Rivers Casino, launched in 2019.

The city of Chicago will be opening a new Bally’s-led land-based casino in the next few years following Mayor Lori Lightfoot handpicking them in May 2022.

Illinois Online Casinos & Gambling FAQ

Also read:

• Indiana Online Casinos
• Iowa Online Casinos
• Missouri Online Casinos
• Wisconsin Online Casinos
• Kentucky Online Casinos