Are real-money online casinos legal in the Land of Lincoln, and what can you actually play online while HB 4797 sits in committee?
Latest Updates
Stake.us pulls out of Illinois after gaming board cease-and-desist
Stake.us closed to Illinois players on May 19, three months after the Illinois Gaming Board sent the sweepstakes site a cease-and-desist letter. Player accounts moved to "redeem only" status. Customers can withdraw existing balances but can no longer purchase coins, join promotions, or play games.
The Illinois Gaming Board, working with the state attorney general's office, sent similar letters to more than 65 sweepstakes operators in February over alleged unlicensed online casino activity. Stake.us is among the few brands so far to comply.
The exit pulls Stake.us out of 19 US states. Its parent still serves players in 31 states and remains one of the largest dual-currency sweepstakes brands in the country.
Real-money online casinos
Not legal, HB 4797 pending
Online sports betting
Legal, 10 mobile sportsbooks
Online poker
Not legal as a separate market
Illinois iLottery
Legal since 2012
Sweepstakes / social casinos
Crackdown underway, 65 cease-and-desist orders
Commercial casinos
17 statewide, including Chicago
Tribal casinos
None operating, no compact
Charitable gaming (bingo, raffles)
Legal, IL Department of Revenue licensed
Minimum gambling age
21 for casinos and sportsbooks, 18 for the lottery
Regulator
Illinois Gaming Board
The Market Without iCasino
#2 in Sports Bets, Zero Online Slots.
Illinois is the second-largest sports betting market in the United States and was the first state in the country to sell lottery tickets online. Real-money online slots and live dealer tables are still illegal. The size of the gap is the entire argument the iGaming bill is built on.
2025 sports betting handle
$15.5BSecond-largest in the country behind only New York, ahead of New Jersey.
Share of US sports handle
9.5%One of every ten dollars wagered nationwide in 2025 ran through an Illinois book.
State sports tax collected
$480M13 percent of all state-level sports betting tax revenue in the US in 2025.
FanDuel + DraftKings share
~80%FanDuel near 49 percent, DraftKings near 31. The other eight books split the rest.
What is already legal online for Illinois players
·iLottery has sold draw tickets, e-instants, and Mega Millions online since March 25, 2012. Illinois was the first state in the country to do it.
·Online sports betting has been live since June 18, 2020 under the 2019 Sports Wagering Act, with the in-person registration rule lifted on March 5, 2022.
·Real-money online slots and live dealer tables remain unauthorized. Every legal online dollar in Illinois moves through a sportsbook or a lottery account.
Regulatory Timeline
How It Happened
Riverboat Gambling Act signed
Gov. Jim Thompson signs Public Act 86-1029 at the Peoria Boatworks, making Illinois the second state to legalize riverboat casino gambling under a 10-license cap.
Sports Wagering Act signed
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs the Sports Wagering Act (230 ILCS 45/), authorizing online and retail sports betting for anyone 21 or older through casinos, racetracks, and large sports facilities.
Prairie Band Potawatomi becomes Illinois' first federally recognized tribe
The U.S. Department of the Interior places 130 acres of the Shab-eh-nay Reservation in DeKalb County into trust for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, the first tribal land in Illinois held in federal trust.
HB 4797 iGaming bill reintroduced
Rep. Edgar Gonzalez Jr. refiles the Internet Gaming Act, which would license each of the 17 Illinois casinos to operate three iGaming skins at a 25 percent tax rate. The 2025 version of the bill never left committee.
The Illinois Gaming Board and Attorney General Kwame Raoul order 65 sweepstakes operators, including Chumba, LuckyLand, Fliff, Stake.us, and Pulsz, to block Illinois players, citing 720 ILCS 5/28-1.
Six Licenses, Seven Years
Where Pritzker's 2019 Casino Build Stands.
The Rebuild Illinois capital plan, signed June 28, 2019, authorized six new commercial casino licenses on top of the ten existing riverboats. Five of the six are open in some form. The Illinois Gaming Board has collected more than $386 million in upfront license fees from the new operators alone. The build is still finishing, and the legislature is already arguing about what to put online on top of it.
Northern Illinois
Hard Rock Rockford
Open
Temporary opened Nov 2021. Permanent casino opened Aug 29, 2024.
74,000 square feet, 1,400 slots, 56 tables. Hard Rock announced a hotel and conference expansion in May 2026 set for late 2027.
East-central Illinois
Golden Nugget Danville
Open
Opened May 27, 2023 on a temporary IGB permit.
Smallest of the six. 40,000 square feet, about 600 slots, 14 tables on the I-74 corridor near the Indiana line.
Williamson County
Walker's Bluff Carterville
Open
Opened Aug 25, 2023. Paid $25 million in upfront license fees to the state on opening week.
Anchored on a winery-and-event-venue complex. The only Rebuild casino south of I-70.
Waukegan
The Temporary by American Place
Temp open
Temp opened Feb 17, 2023. Full House Resorts breaks ground on the permanent casino March or April 2026.
Permanent build is an 18 to 24 month project. Opening targeted late 2027 or early 2028.
East Hazel Crest / Homewood
Wind Creek Chicago Southland
Open
Casino opened Nov 11, 2024. Hotel opened April 11, 2025.
$529 million build. 70,000 square feet, 1,400 slots, 56 tables, 252-room hotel run by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians' commercial arm.
River West
Bally's Chicago
Temp open, permanent under construction
Temporary at Medinah Temple opened Sept 9, 2023. Permanent casino on the old Tribune Publishing Center site opens September 2026.
First permanent casino inside Chicago city limits. 500-room hotel and a 3,000-seat theater tied to the build. Construction began Aug 27, 2024.
The Tax Architecture
Two Tax Knobs, No Other State Has Both.
Illinois charges sports operators twice. Once on adjusted gross revenue, on a six-tier graduated scale that runs 20 percent at the bottom and 40 percent at the top. Once again on every individual wager: a quarter for the first twenty million bets an operator books in a fiscal year, fifty cents for every wager after that. No other US state combines the two. The closest peer is Tennessee, which charges 1.85 percent of total handle.
Per-wager rate, first 20M bets
$0.25Charged on every individual wager an operator books in a fiscal year until the 20-million-wager threshold.
Per-wager rate, above 20M bets
$0.50Rate doubles for the rest of the year. DraftKings and FanDuel are the only two books that consistently clear the threshold.
GGR tax band
20% to 40%Graduated, six brackets. Operators earning under $30M of online AGR pay 20 percent. The top bracket is 40 percent above $200M.
Per-wager revenue, H1 FY26
$60MFirst six months of the new fee. Roughly 50 percent above the $40 million Pritzker budget estimate.
State-by-state comparison of mobile sports betting tax structures.
State
Headline rate
How it works
New York
51% GGR, mobile
Flat highest in the country. No per-wager fee.
Pennsylvania
36% GGR + 2% local share
Online and retail. No per-wager fee.
Illinois
20% to 40% GGR + per-wager fee
Graduated GGR layered on top of $0.25 / $0.50 per individual bet. Only US state running both knobs.
Ohio
20% GGR
Doubled from 10 percent in FY 2024-25. Flat. No per-wager fee.
Massachusetts
20% GGR, mobile
Retail at 15 percent. Flat. No per-wager fee.
Tennessee
1.85% of handle
The other state taxing the wager rather than the operator's profit, but as a percentage of total handle rather than a fixed dollar fee per bet.
Colorado
10% net proceeds
TABOR locks the headline rate. Free-bet deduction phases out July 2026. No per-wager fee.
The per-wager fee changes the math on micro-bets and same-game parlays. A $2 ticket and a $200 ticket cost the operator the same quarter to settle, which prices out the low-stakes bettor and quietly pushes the books toward bigger average ticket sizes. The industry sued Chicago in January 2026 over a separate $2-per-wager municipal fee. The state-level fee did not draw a lawsuit. Operators paid it, and the state collected $60 million in the first six months.
Where to Play
Online Casinos for Illinois Players
Illinois licenses no online casinos. This is a placeholder listing until our database is wired in. HB 4797 would, if enacted, allow up to 51 licensed iGaming skins tied to the state's 17 land-based casinos.
Casinos we play at. We earn a commission when you sign up through these.
The Other Casino
49,000 Slot Machines Spread Across 8,700 Bars.
The Video Gaming Act of 2009 put up to six video gambling terminals into any bar, truck stop, fraternal club, or restaurant with a liquor license that wanted them. Sixteen years in, the program runs a slot floor bigger than every commercial casino in the state put together. The companies that own those terminals and the route operators that service them are the lobby that quietly kills iGaming bills.
Active VGTs in Illinois
49,000+Across the state, second only to Nevada in installed terminals nationally.
Licensed VGT establishments
~8,700Bars, truck stops, fraternal clubs, restaurants. Up to six terminals each.
2025 VGT net revenue
$3.19BNet terminal income. State and locals take 34 percent off the top, then split.
2025 casino floor revenue
$1.93BAdjusted gross receipts across all 17 commercial casinos. VGTs out-earn the casino floor by roughly 65 percent.
The route operator economy
Accel Entertainment, the largest US route operator, was founded in Illinois in 2010 and went public in 2019. Its business is contracting the terminals into thousands of small locations, splitting the hold three ways with the state, the location, and the operator. iGaming would push slot play out of those small locations and onto a phone. The route operator loses location fees. The bar loses foot traffic. Both are constituents with active lobbyists in Springfield.
Why this matters for HB 4797
The VGT lobby is not in HB 4797. The bill licenses casino operators to put slots online. It does nothing for the bar owner with three Accel terminals tucked next to the pool table. The 2025 hearing made that gap explicit. Casino opponents, union opponents, and route operator opponents all found a reason to push against the same bill. The 2026 version did not change that calculation.
The Law
Why There Are No Online Casinos
Illinois regulates gambling through the Illinois Gambling Act (230 ILCS 10/), the Sports Wagering Act (230 ILCS 45/), the Lottery Law (20 ILCS 1605/), and the Video Gaming Act. None of those statutes authorize real-money online slots or table games. Rep. Edgar Gonzalez Jr. refiled HB 4797 on February 2, 2026 to create a state Internet Gaming Act that would let the Illinois Gaming Board license each of the 17 land-based casinos to operate three online skins, taxed at 25 percent of gross gaming revenue. An identical bill stalled in committee in 2025 after pushback from unions and brick-and-mortar casino operators.
Sweepstakes platforms are under direct pressure. On February 5, 2026 the Illinois Gaming Board and Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued 65 cease-and-desist letters to operators including Chumba, LuckyLand, Fliff, Stake.us, and Pulsz, citing 720 ILCS 5/28-1 as the prohibition on unlicensed online casino play. Three months later only Stake.us and a handful of smaller sites had pulled out. Sen. Bill Cunningham’s SB 1705, which would make running a dual-currency sweepstakes platform a Class 4 felony, remained pending on the Senate floor as of May 2026.
The Bill on Paper
HB 4797's 51-Skin Math, and the Headcount Clause.
HB 4797 is short, structured, and identical to the 2025 version that died in committee. Each of the 17 IGB-licensed casinos gets up to three iGaming skin partners, for a hard cap of 51 online platforms. Gross gaming revenue is taxed at 25 percent, after free play and promo deductions. One clause sets the bill apart from any other state's online casino statute: a license cliff tied to in-state employment.
Land-based casino licensees
17Each one of the existing IGB licensees gets the right to apply.
Skins per licensee
3Up to three approved iGaming platform partners per casino license.
Maximum online platforms
5117 land-based licenses, three skins each. The cap caps the market.
Tax on adjusted gross revenue
25%Promotional credits and free play are deductible before tax is applied.
Initial license fee
$250KPlus a $100,000 renewal fee. Both paid by the iGaming operator, not the casino.
Workforce cliff date
Feb 28, 2020Any casino that has cut its Illinois headcount 25 percent or more since that date is barred from getting a license or renewing.
2026 session path, day by day
Rep. Edgar Gonzalez Jr. files HB 4797, the Internet Gaming Act. Same skin cap, tax rate, and workforce clause as the 2025 version that died in committee.
Bill referred to the House Rules Committee. SB 3723 filed in the Senate as the companion.
Pritzker calls online casinos "worthy of consideration" for the FY27 budget, which is staring at a multi-hundred-million-dollar hole.
HB 4797 assigned to the House Gaming Committee.
Re-referred to Rules. No Gaming Committee vote scheduled before adjournment.
Session ends. Same outcome as 2025. The conversation moves to the fall veto session and 2027.
The workforce clause is the part casino opponents inside the unions can defend in public. A casino that has cut its Illinois headcount by more than a quarter since the start of the pandemic cannot get an iGaming license at all. Gonzalez built it in so unions could read the bill as a labor-protection vote, not a job-loss vote. It has not flipped the votes inside the Gaming Committee yet.
Legal Alternatives
What You Can Play in Illinois
The forms of gambling Illinois residents can legally use right now.
Online Sports Betting
Legal under the Sports Wagering Act of 2019 (230 ILCS 45/). Ten mobile sportsbooks operate statewide: bet365, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars, Circa, DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel, Hard Rock Bet, and theScore Bet. Players must be 21 and physically inside Illinois. The in-person registration rule ended on March 5, 2022.
Illinois iLottery
Illinois became the first US state to sell lottery tickets online when iLottery launched in 2012. Draw games, e-instants, Powerball, and Mega Millions are sold through illinoislottery.com to anyone 18 or older inside the state, under Lottery Law (20 ILCS 1605/).
Land-Based Casinos
Seventeen commercial casinos run under the Illinois Gambling Act, regulated by the Illinois Gaming Board. The 2019 Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan added six new venues, including Bally's Chicago (permanent facility opens September 2026), Hard Rock Rockford, and Wind Creek Chicago Southland.
Charitable Gaming
Licensed nonprofits run bingo, raffles, and charitable games such as blackjack and poker at qualifying events. The Illinois Department of Revenue handles licensing under the Bingo License and Tax Act, the Raffles and Poker Runs Act, and the Charitable Games Act.
The Sweepstakes Standoff
65 Letters Sent, Two Operators Left.
On February 5, 2026, the Illinois Gaming Board and Attorney General Kwame Raoul jointly issued cease-and-desist letters to 65 sweepstakes platforms, citing 720 ILCS 5/28-1. Two of those 65 actually pulled out: JefeBet and Jumbo88. The other 63 are still serving Illinois players. The 3 percent compliance rate is one of the lowest any state sweeps enforcement push has produced. Maryland, with 75 letters, hit roughly 33 percent.
C&D letters sent
65Issued Feb 5, 2026 by IGB Administrator Marcus Fruchter and Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
Operators that geo-blocked Illinois
2JefeBet and Jumbo88. That is the entire compliance list as of mid-April 2026.
Illinois compliance rate
3%One of the lowest enforcement rates of any state sweepstakes crackdown on record.
Maryland comparison
~33%75 letters out of Maryland Lottery in 2025. Around one in three operators pulled out.
Named operators and where they stand
Brand
Status
Note
Stake.us
Pulled out
Public exit announcement followed shortly after the C&D was published.
Chumba Casino
Still live
VGW remained active for Illinois players after the deadline.
LuckyLand Slots
Still live
Same parent company as Chumba. Same posture.
Fliff
Still live
Sports-style sweepstakes book named in the letter set.
Pulsz
Still live
Yellow Social Interactive site, ignored the C&D.
Why the compliance rate is this low, and what SB 1705 changes
A cease-and-desist letter is a demand, not a court order. The sweepstakes operators that ignored the IGB are betting that the statutory definition of “gambling device” in 720 ILCS 5/28-1 does not clearly cover a dual-currency online sweepstakes platform, and that forcing a civil or criminal case into court would be slow and expensive enough to make the agency back off. Sen. Bill Cunningham's SB 1705 is the answer to that bet. The bill rewrites the definition of gambling device to name electronic sweepstakes machines and internet sweepstakes platforms, and elevates running one to a Class 4 felony with up to three years in prison and fines up to $25,000. SB 1705 cleared committee in 2025 and sat on the Senate floor in May 2026.
FAQ
Illinois Gambling FAQ
Are online casinos legal in Illinois?+
No. Illinois licenses no real-money online casino operators. Rep. Edgar Gonzalez Jr. refiled HB 4797 on February 2, 2026 to create a state Internet Gaming Act, but the bill remained in committee as of May 2026. Sites advertising 'Illinois online casino real money' are offshore and unregulated.
Can I legally bet on sports online in Illinois?+
Yes. The Sports Wagering Act has covered online sports betting since 2019. Ten mobile sportsbooks operate in the state, including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetRivers, and BetMGM. You must be 21 and physically inside Illinois to place a wager.
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Illinois?+
It is contested. On February 5, 2026 the Illinois Gaming Board and Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued 65 cease-and-desist letters to sweepstakes operators. Only Stake.us and a handful of smaller sites pulled out. SB 1705 would make running a dual-currency sweepstakes platform a Class 4 felony but had not cleared the Senate floor as of May 2026.
How many casinos does Illinois have?+
Seventeen commercial casinos operate statewide under the Illinois Gambling Act, regulated by the Illinois Gaming Board. Illinois has no tribal casinos; the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation became the first federally recognized tribe with Illinois land in trust on April 19, 2024 but has not signed a gaming compact.
How old do you have to be to gamble in Illinois?+
Twenty-one for casinos, sportsbooks, and video gaming terminals. Eighteen for the Illinois Lottery, the iLottery, and charitable gaming such as bingo and raffles.
Will Illinois legalize online casinos?+
Maybe. HB 4797 and its Senate companion SB 3723 are live as of May 2026, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker has called online casinos 'worthy of consideration' for the state budget. Casino operators and labor unions oppose the bill on cannibalization grounds, the same fight that killed the 2025 version. We update this page when the legal status changes.
