Legal Illinois online casinos could be on the horizon as the IL online casino bill progresses. To get you ready, we’ve put together a complete guide to which IL online casinos you can expect, bonuses they may offer, and general advice on how to get the most out of your gambling experience once they launch.
For the time being, keep in mind that you can still play casino-style games at social casinos for a chance to win cash prizes. Make sure to read our guide below for all the information you need to know regarding Illinois online casinos.
Illinois Online Casinos Available Now
In this article, we’ll primarily be discussing what you can expect from legal Illinois online casinos once they launch. However, as mentioned above, you can legally play on social casinos for the chance to win cash prizes right now. These social casinos offer bonuses, which we’ve listed below, as well as some of the most popular casino-style games.
of Gold Coins for $10
Make sure to read our complete sweepstakes casino guide to learn more about these legal Illinois online casino-style gambling options. Keep in mind that you must be 18 or over to play.
Best Illinois Online Casinos
We’ve already established exclusive bonus codes for some of the most popular legal online casinos in the country. So, when Illinois online casinos do get legalized, you can utilize the below table to take full advantage of your play and get started off on the right foot. These bonuses often include deposit matches, and sometimes even include no deposit bonuses that are credited immediately upon registration.
While the below bonuses are currently only available at the best online casinos in legal states such as MI, NJ, PA, and WV, we expect them to also be available to IL online casino players once the bill passes.
Online Casino Signup Offer Sign Up
MI, NJ, PA, WV - Sign up & get $25 FREEPLAY® + 100% deposit match bonus up to $1,000
Sign Up
100% Deposit Match up to $2,500 + 2,500 Reward Credits on $25+ Wager Sign Up
MI, PA, WV -Up to $500 Bonus
NJ - 100% deposit match up to $500 in Bonus MoneySign Up
$35 Casino Credits on Sign Up PLUS Play $5 and Get $100 in Casino Credits Instantly or Get a 100% Deposit Match up to $250 Sign Up
Up to $1,000 back if you are down after the first 24 hours Sign Up
Must be 21+ and located in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or West Virginia to play. The above online real money casinos are expected to launch in Illinois pending legalization and regulatory approval.
How to Find the Best Illinois Online Casinos
Select a Legitimate App
Basically, make sure you’re playing on a legal, regulated app or Illinois online casino website. Once online casino gambling is legalized in the state, these apps will offer a safe, secure, and fair way to play. They are run by established operators who utilize the same encryption online banks use to protect your personal and financial information. In addition to that, they will be regularly monitored by the state government to ensure that game outcomes are determined via a random number generator (in other words, no rigged games).
Illegal or offshore apps and casinos offer none of these protections, so you could stand to have your personal and financial information sold, all to play games that could be rigged.
Know Your Favorite Content
Every Illinois online casino will have a different game catalog. Some may be heavy on the slots, while others may focus on table games. Even better, some online casinos may have a large selection of both. You should pick an online casino that offers the widest variety of the type of games you enjoy. In addition to that, you could also look for Illinois online casinos that offer popular land-based games or some of your existing favorite games.
Consider the Navigation
Navigating a poorly-designed website isn’t fun, and online casinos are here to provide fun. For that reason, make sure you’re not only looking at the legitimacy of the online casino and the games they offer, but also the quality and intuitiveness of their navigation. The app or online casino you choose should have easy navigation that gets you to where you want to go quickly and easily. Bonus points if they offer features such as searching and filtering.
Find the Best Offers
Online casinos are well-known for their generous bonus offers. This includes not only the welcome bonuses for new players listed above, but also promotions for existing players. The online casino industry is crowded, and many operators are vying for your attention. For this reason, they often offer more plentiful and rewarding bonuses for existing players than their land-based counterparts.
Before you even get there though, it should go without saying to make sure you’re taking advantage of those generous welcome bonuses to get yourself started. You can use the welcome bonus on every casino upon signup, so don’t miss out.
Register for an Account
Once you’ve vetted your options, the final step in the process of finding the best Illinois online casinos is to register your account. As we stated just above, make 100% sure that you’re taking advantage of the welcome bonus and promo codes we’ve listed above. These will kickstart your gameplay and give you an opportunity to bolster your bank with less of your own money deposited.
Some personal information will be collected upon registration to verify your identity and keep you safe from others attempting to play on your account. This is standard practice, and you can trust any legal and regulated Illinois online casino with this information due to their strong encryption and strict government oversight.
Illinois Online Casino Games
Illinois online casinos are expected to offer a wide variety of games, ranging from slots and table games you see at online casinos to live dealer games and more. In fact, you’ll most likely find a wider selection of games on these online casinos than you would at land-based casinos as they partner with many game providers to offer the best game catalogs possible. Below, we’ve broken down some of what you can expect from these sites.
Slots
The widest variety of an online casino game catalog is almost always found in the slots section. Slots offer the opportunity to hop into games with many different themes, features, bonuses, and formats. Video slots, three-reel steppers, jackpot and progressive jackpot slots, and more are all expected to be available at IL online casinos. You can learn more about the different types of slots on our real-money slots page, but below we’ve listed some of the most popular and recognizable games you can expect to see once online casinos launch in The Prairie State.
- 88 Fortunes: 88 Fortunes is the king of Asian-themed slots, one of the most popular subcategories available. You may recognize it from land-based casino floors. This game features free games, four tiers of jackpots, and more.
- Cleopatra: Cleopatra is an iconic name in the world of slots, and for good reason. The original Cleopatra slot has cemented itself as a fan favorite, and multiple variations have been released since then including Cleopatra II, Cleopatra Gold, and more. While all of the Cleopatra slots offer different features, they all play off the same Ancient Egyptian theme that’ll have you enjoying every spin.
- Divine Fortune: We’d be remiss not to mention one of the most popular progressive jackpot slots available at online casinos. The progressive jackpot in Divine Fortune often reaches into six figures, setting up the potential for a massive win on any spin. Other bonus features are found here as well, such as free spins, which always have the chance to sweeten the pot.
These are just three examples of some of the slots you can expect to find at Illinois online casinos once they are legalized. While you may recognize these names, it’s absolutely worth exploring every online casino’s catalog to find new favorites and hidden gems. After all, you can often find online casinos offering over 1,000 slots to choose from, such as BetMGM Casino. There’s a lot to explore out there, but digging deep could result in lots of fun and lots of payouts.
Table Games
At Illinois online casinos, you can expect to find all of the classic table games that you’d find at a land-based or retail casino, but that’s not all. The benefit of online play is that you’ll also find unique variations of each game that you won’t find anywhere else. In addition to that, most online casinos offer lower minimum bets, so you can hop on the (virtual) tables for less than you’d expect. And, table games often feature the most player-friendly odds in the casino. Some games you can expect in the IL online casino world include:
- Blackjack
- Roulette
- Baccarat
- Craps
- Video Poker
- Casino Poker (Three-Card Poker, Hold ‘em, etc.)
Live Dealer
Live dealer games offer a unique online experience geared towards players who enjoy playing at land-based casinos. This category features table games and prize wheels run by real in-person dealers. That means your game is played on a real table, by a real person, and live-streamed directly to you. They also often feature chat, so you can interact with other players and the dealers themselves.
Some of the most popular live dealer games include:
- Live Dealer Blackjack
- Live Dealer Roulette
- Live Dealer Baccarat
- Live Dealer Casino Poker (three-card poker, hold ‘em, etc.)
- Live Dealer Prize Wheel Games (spin the wheel for a chance at a prize. One example of this is Dream Catcher)
Payment Methods at Illinois Online Casinos
Payment methods at legal online casinos are similar across the board in all states where they are currently legal, so we can expect to see the same options at Illinois online casinos once they launch. Understanding these deposit and withdrawal options will help you to have a positive experience while playing online, with the quickest, easiest, and most successful methods rising to the top. We’ve listed some options you can expect to see below.
- ACH/eCheck: This is a fancy name for a direct deposit or withdrawal to/from your checking account. This also happens to be one of our highest recommended cashier methods, as it’s often amongst the fastest transfer methods, the most secure, and the most widely accepted.
- PayPal: PayPal is one of the more recent cashier options to become widely available in the online casino world, and it’s quickly risen to the top as one of the easiest, quickest, and most likely to succeed. Players 21 or over with a valid PayPal account can utilize this method to make quick and easy deposits and withdrawals.
- Prepaid Cards: The prepaid card option is nice for those who often play on the same online casino, as they’re usually linked to one specific casino. The idea is simple — order a prepaid card (often Play+), and add funds. You can then deposit and withdraw from your prepaid card directly. Because they’re offered directly by the online casino, prepaid cards have a nearly 100% success rate for both deposits and withdrawals, barring any technical issues or lack of funds.
- Credit/Debit Cards: While widely available, we don’t recommend this method as card issuers and banks often reject payments. Often, these deposits are seen by the bank as a cash advance if they are accepted, which can come with an additional fee.
Withdrawing at Illinois Online Casinos
While depositing at an Illinois online casino can be an easy choice, there are some things you must keep in mind while depositing in order to set yourself up for successful and easy withdrawals. When you first make a deposit, for example, it would be ideal to choose an option that you would like to withdraw back to. The reason for this is because Illinois online casinos will usually only let you use certain withdrawal methods if you’ve already used the same method to make a deposit. This is in order to protect your funds and prevent them from being withdrawn into an unauthorized bank account or PayPal account, for example.
You should also always make sure to check that the chosen method’s withdrawal time is acceptable to you. Generally, ACH/eCheck and PayPal will be the fastest.
History of Illinois Online Casinos
We are still in the early stages of Illinois online casinos, and the historical timeline is being added to and molded every day. You can read the latest news in our news feed above. All that being said, we’ve put a quick rundown below so you can see where we are now, and how we got here.
- 1990: Riverboat casinos are legalized in Illinois.
- 1999: Riverboat casinos, previously required to be in motion, can now be docked while still allowing play. This introduces casino gambling to the state in a new light.
- 2009: The Video Gaming Act legalizes Video Gaming Terminals (VGT) in truck stops and liquor-pouring venues such as bars and nightclubs.
- 2012: The online gambling industry in the state begins as the state permits lottery ticket sales online.
- 2019: Sports betting, both in-person and online, is legalized. The first sportsbooks subsequently open in 2020.
- 2023: IL state senator Christina Castro sponsors a bill to legalize online casinos.
- Feb. 2023: The House online casino bill, HB2239, advances to a second committee. While not guaranteed, the further movement of the bill seems promising for Illinois.
Read more: Find the best sports betting bonuses from trusted sportsbooks
Are IL Online Casinos Safe?
Much like other states that currently offer legal online casino gambling (CT, MI, NJ, PA, and WV), the Illinois online casino industry will be regulated by the state government. This affords a vast amount of protections, including but not limited to the safe and secure transfer and storage of personal and financial information, as well as fair play determined by a random number generator. So, the bottom line is yes, IL online casinos will be safe and legal to play.
The Illinois Gaming Board is charged with multiple responsibilities, including but not limited to:
- Ensuring that online casinos use strong encryption to protect personal and financial information.
- Ensuring that game outcomes are fair and determined by a random number generator.
In addition, Illinois online casinos will be run by established and trusted operators who have much experience in the industry. You can trust IL online casinos with the personal information required to open an account, the financial information required to deposit and withdraw, and the ability to play online casino games that are safe and fair.
Illinois Online Gambling Options
- Sports Betting
- Horse Betting
- Online Lottery
More on Illinois Gambling
Illinois Online Casinos FAQ
No. However, the state government is currently progressing through potentially passing a bill to legalize Illinois online casinos.
21 or older. For riverboat casinos, players must be 21 or older. However, players 18 or older can take part in the lottery, horse racing, and charitable gaming such as bingo and raffles. Like the legal gambling age in many states, Illinois has different age minimums for different types of gambling.
Yes. It is currently legal to gamble at online sportsbooks, pari-mutuel horse racing, and online lottery in IL. Online casino gambling could become legal pending the passage of the bill.
No. As long as you are currently located within Illinois state lines, it will be legal to gamble online.
Yes. All online gambling in Illinois is or will be licensed and regulated by a government agency to ensure safe, secure, and fair play. Here at Bonus.com, we will never recommend an illegal or unregulated gambling site.
Yes. As of 2019, online sports betting was legalized by the same bill that legalized retail sports betting in the state of Illinois. If you’re interested in sports betting promos in Ilinois then make sure to visit our dedicated page
Yes. Your information is protected by the same strong encryption standards that online banks use. In addition, legal Illinois online casinos will be fully licensed and regulated by the state government.
About the Author
