States / Illinois / Sports betting
Is sports betting legal in Illinois?
Yes. In Illinois, online and in-person sports betting are legal (as of Oct 12, 2026). Online betting launched Jun 18, 2020; in-person betting Mar 9, 2020. Operators pay $0.25 per wager for the first 20,000,000 combined annual wagers; $0.50 per wager thereafter in tax.
| Channel | Status | Launched | Model | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports (online) | Live | Jun 18, 2020 | Competitive | In-person registration requirement for new mobile accounts was in place at launch and later repealed (sunset March 2022). Multiple online operators now live (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Fanatics, Caesars, bet365, ESPN BET, etc.). 230 ILCS 45/1 et seq. (Sports Wagering Act) [1] |
| Sports (retail) | Live | Mar 9, 2020 | Competitive | Authorized as part of the 2019 gaming expansion (PA 101-31); retail sportsbooks opened at casinos, racetracks, and later at sports venues (e.g. Wrigley Field, United Center, Guaranteed Rate Field) under "master sports wagering licensee" and venue licenses. 230 ILCS 45/1 et seq. (Sports Wagering Act) [2],[3] |
Tax rate
| Rate | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| $0.25 per wager for the first 20,000,000 combined annual wagers; $0.50 per wager thereafter (per operator, per fiscal year). PER_WAGER (online) | Jul 1, 2025 | First-in-the-nation per-wager excise tax, enacted in the FY2026 budget implementation act; stacks on top of the percentage-of-AGR tax above. Applies to all wagers including free/bonus bets per IGB guidance letter.[1] |
| 20% AGR (online) $0–$30.0M | Jul 1, 2024 | First tier of the progressive tax enacted by PA 103-592 (2024 budget); applies to online/mobile adjusted gross sports wagering receipts.[1] |
| 25% AGR (online) $30.0M–$50.0M | Jul 1, 2024 | [1] |
| 30% AGR (online) $50.0M–$100M | Jul 1, 2024 | [1] |
| 35% AGR (online) $100M–$200M | Jul 1, 2024 | [1] |
| 40% AGR (online) $200M–∞ | Jul 1, 2024 | [1] |
| 2% AGR (online) | Jun 28, 2019 | Additional 2% surcharge on adjusted gross receipts from wagers placed within a home-rule county of over 3,000,000 residents (Cook County), remitted to that county's criminal justice system.[1] |
| 20% AGR (retail) $0–$30.0M | Jul 1, 2024 | Retail tier schedule mirrors the online schedule exactly (20/25/30/35/40%).[1] |
| 25% AGR (retail) $30.0M–$50.0M | Jul 1, 2024 | [1] |
| 30% AGR (retail) $50.0M–$100M | Jul 1, 2024 | [1] |
| 35% AGR (retail) $100M–$200M | Jul 1, 2024 | [1] |
| 40% AGR (retail) $200M–∞ | Jul 1, 2024 | [1] |
Rules
- Minimum age to place a sports wager
- 21 · Sports Wagering Act sets minimum age at 21 for sports wagering licensees' patrons.[4]
- Wagering on college sports allowed at all
- Yes[5]
- Wagering on in-state college teams allowed
- No · 2024 budget-related legislation ended wagering on Illinois in-state college teams' games.[5]?
- New online accounts must be created in person
- No · In-person registration requirement sunset in March 2022 per its original statutory expiration.[1]
- Online sports wagering available statewide (not tethered to premises)
- Yes[1]
- Any per-wager fee/tax (e.g. Illinois 2025 per-bet tax) summary
- $0.25 per wager for the first 20,000,000 combined wagers in a fiscal year; $0.50 per wager above 20,000,000, effective 2025-07-01 (230 ILCS 45/25-90(d-7)). Applies to all wagers including bonus/promotional bets per IGB guidance.[1]
Licensed sportsbooks
| Operator | Brand | Channel | Status | Launched |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bally's Corporation | Bally Bet | Sports (online) | temporary | [6] |
| bet365 | bet365 | Sports (online) | active | [6] |
| BetMGM | BetMGM Sportsbook (Roar Digital) | Sports (online) | active | [6] |
| Caesars Entertainment | Caesars Sportsbook | Sports (online) | active | [6] |
| Circa Sports | Circa Sports | Sports (online) | active | [6] |
| DraftKings | DraftKings Sportsbook | Sports (online) | active | [6] |
| FanDuel | FanDuel Sportsbook | Sports (online) | temporary | [6] |
| Hard Rock Digital | Hard Rock Digital | Sports (online) | active | [6] |
| PENN Entertainment | ESPN BET | Sports (online) | temporary | [6] |
| PointsBet | PointsBet | Sports (online) | active | [6] |
| Rush Street Interactive | BetRivers | Sports (online) | active | [6] |
| Bally's Corporation | Bally's Quad Cities Casino & Hotel | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
| Boyd Gaming | Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
| Caesars Entertainment | Grand Victoria Casino | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
| Caesars Entertainment | Harrah's Joliet Casino & Hotel | Sports (retail) | pending | [7] |
| DraftKings | DraftKings (Wrigley Field designee) | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
| DraftKings | DraftKings at Casino Queen | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
| Elite Casino Resorts | Walker's Bluff Casino Resort | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
| FanDuel | FanDuel Sportsbook & Horse Racing | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
| Full House Resorts | The Temporary by American Place | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
| Hard Rock International | Hard Rock Casino Rockford | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
| Hawthorne Race Course | Hawthorne Casino & Race Course | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
| PENN Entertainment | Hollywood Casino Aurora | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
| PENN Entertainment | Hollywood Casino Joliet | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
| PENN Entertainment | Argosy Casino Alton | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
| Poarch Band of Creek Indians | Wind Creek Chicago Southland | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
| Rush Street Gaming | Rivers Casino | Sports (retail) | active | [7] |
All gambling laws in Illinois → · Sports betting in every state →
Sources
- 230 ILCS 45/25-90 — Sec. 25-90. Tax; Sports Wagering Fund · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- 230 ILCS 45 — Sports Wagering Act, Act directory (enacted by P.A. 101-31) · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- Illinois Gaming Board — Cease and Desist Letters · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Page lists 13 cease-and-desist letters (sports wagering related) with recipients and dates, including Polymarket, Kalshi, Robinhood, Crypto.com, and several offshore/DFS pick'em operators.
- 230 ILCS 45/25-90 (cross-reference for Sports Wagering Act minimum-age licensing framework) · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
Minimum sports-wagering age of 21 is standard across IGB sports-wagering licensing materials; cited here against the tax section reviewed because the age-specific section (230 ILCS 45/25-45) was not separately fetched verbatim.
- Illinois' Wagering Woes: Tax Hikes and the End of Wagering on Illinois College Sports · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
secondary source only; cited via confirmed search-result summary text describing the 2024 progressive tax tiers and in-state college betting restriction.
- Sports Wagering: Applicant & Licensee Lists (Management Services Provider Applicants & Licensees) · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- Sports Wagering: Applicant & Licensee Lists (Master Sports Wagering Applicants & Licensees) · retrieved Oct 10, 2026