Illinois Online Gambling 2020

Illinois has a fairly liberal attitude towards casino and online gambling, as long as the games are confined to riverboats. The Riverboat Gambling Act was passed in 1990, but Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs) are also permitted in retail outlets and truck stops under the 2009 Video Gaming Act.

Gaming is overseen by the Illinois Gaming Board. How online gambling in Illinois will look in 2020? Let’s see.

Sportsbooks

With the election of a new governor in 2018, Illinois has been making steady progress in expanding all of their legal gambling options and the focus is with sports betting. Legal sportsbooks online and on-land are coming to Illinois and many expect it before the end of 2019.

Already in July 2019, PointsBet announced a 20-year partnership with Hawthorne Race Course to build premium retail sportsbook as legal sports betting and mobile betting enters Illinois.

Illinois is the latest American state to embrace legalized sports betting. On June 28, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker passed into law a capital bill that included the legalization of sports betting in the state. They became the 16th US jurisdiction to legalize sports betting.

The bill is part of an overall gaming expansion plan that will allow casinos, racetracks and certain other designated venues to offer sports wagering. These sites will offer sports betting kiosks, similar to the set up currently in place to sell lottery tickets. As part of the plan, six additional casino licenses will be granted. Fees from the legalized sports betting and additional casinos will be put toward infrastructure costs within the state.

The Illinois Gaming Board will be tasked with the job of determining which facilities are granted the sports betting licenses. The plan is to have sports betting up and operational in time for Super Bowl LIV. They anticipate generating more than $750 million per year in wagers.

Casinos

There are currently over 10 casinos operating all over the state of Illinois. Downstate, in the west, and even in Chicagoland. These casinos began with the riverboat model but have since expanded. Online casinos are another story, however. For now, they remain illegal but there is a new push to legalize and regulate every form of gambling in the state and it will be interesting to see if this includes online casino gambling.

Within three days of the announcement of the legalization of sports betting in Illinois, Chicago-area Hawthorne Race Course announced a partnership with the Australian bookmaker PointsBet. The partners plan to construct a world-class multi-faceted sports entertainment venue on the site of the track. They will also eventually offer sports wagering at three of Hawthorne’s 11 licensed off-track betting sites.

Louisville, Ky.-based Churchill Downs, which already owns Arlington International Racecourse in the Chicago suburb of Arlington, Heights, Ill. recently made a $407 million purchase for a 62 percent stake in Chicago’s Rivers Casino.

Online Poker

While there are several live poker rooms operating in the state, online poker remains illegal so players are forced to use the off-shore sites for any online action.

Lotteries

The lottery in Illinois is one of our nation’s most innovative. Not only do they offer all the major brand names such as Mega Millions and Powerball, but their website also carries even more games to play such as drawings, scratch-offs, insta-games and raffles. They also offer a downloadable app to make things that much easier.

Fantasy Sports

Betting on fantasy sports in Illinois falls into that grey area many states find themselves in. Is it legal? No. Is it illegal? No. Does it exist? Yes. Sites such as DraftKings, FantasyDraft, and FanDuel can all be accessed in Illinois. The state has yet to regulate, and tax, the industry but it is expected soon which will change nothing for players.

Horse Racing

Illinois is the home of the Breeders Cup so you can bet it’s big business for the state. They have several tracks in operation including the beautiful Arlington Race Track, as well as plenty of OTBs. Online horse race wagering is also available through six different websites, such as Hollywood Races and AmWager.

10 Biggest cities in Illinois for online gambling:

1. Chicago
2. Aurora
3. Rockford
4. Joliet
5. Naperville
6. Springfield
7. Peoria
8. Elgin
9. Waukegan
10. Champaign