Welcome to this guide that tells you all you need to know about using an online casino in Illinois. Essential information for making sure that you play legally in the Prairie State.
So you cannot legally gamble your own cash at online casinos in Illinois, but you can play at sweepstakes casinos instead. Here we’ll walk you through which sweeps casinos are available in IL and reveal how you can play these games for free everywhere from Chicago to Springfield. Plus we’ve even got an exclusive promo code for you.
We took a quick look at our guide that shows what states online casinos are legal in and found that Illinois was not on the list. However you can play casino games in-person at one of the many retail physical casinos in the Prairie State.
While you cannot legally use an Illinois real money online casino, you can use sweepstakes casinos instead. After all, they don’t feature real money gambling but let you play with virtual currencies. Here are five of the best of them:
| Sweepstakes casino | Welcome offer | Number of games |
|---|---|---|
| Real Prize | 125 Sweepstakes Coins, 625,000 Gold Coins and 1,250 VIP Points | 550+ |
| Stake.us | 55 Stake Cash, 260,000 Gold Coins and 5% rakeback | 1,400+ |
| High 5 Casino | 40 Sweeps Coins, 200 Game Coins and 100 Diamonds | 1,900+ |
| Clubs Casino | 100% purchase bonus, spend $20 and get 200,000 Gold Coins and 40 free Sweepstakes Coins | 800+ |
| Wow Vegas | 1,750,000 WOW Coins and 35 Sweepstake Coins | 1,200+ |
This brand was only launched in 2024 but it’s legal in 45 states including Illinois. You can sign up here and get a welcome offer of 125 Sweepstakes Coins, 625,000 Gold Coins and 1,250 VIP Points and after that keep playing for free thanks to top deals like daily login bonuses and so on. There are over 550 quality slot games here including big-name titles from Pragmatic Play. Definitely worth a closer look.
You can sign up to Stake.us from anywhere in Illinois using our exclusive PROMOBOY code and get a deal that gives you 55 Stake Cash, 260,000 Gold Coins and 5% rakeback. This can be used across over 1,400 casino games that includes slots, table games, scratchcards, live dealer games and those hugely popular Stake Originals. Plus you can even play via your mobile on the newly launched Stake.us app.
This is another relatively new sweepstakes casino that is worth checking out. After all, Clubs Casino features over 800 casino games and these come from major developers like Pragmatic Play and Relax Gaming. Not only that, but you can sign up here and get a 100% purchase bonus that’ll start you off with 200,000 Gold Coins and 40 free Sweepstakes Coins. Plus there is a quality VIP program to keep existing customers interested.
Not every sweeps casino has partnered up with Paris Hilton, but that’s exactly what Wow Vegas has done. As well as that, the site has boosted its already strong collection of over 1,200 slot games with some immersive live dealer games. The best thing is that you can start off here by getting a welcome offer of 1,750,000 WOW Coins and 35 Sweepstake Coins and then keep playing for free thanks to literally dozens of promos for existing customers.
You cannot directly win money at sweepstakes casinos. However, you can redeem cash prizes if you play through your Sweepstakes Coins the required amount of times and have the minimum amount in your verified account.
We’ve found a growing number of sweeps casinos in Illinois have released their own mobile apps. Here are the best of them:
| App name | App Store rating | Play Store rating | Number of games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stake.us | 4.8 | No rating yet | 1,400+ |
| High 5 Casino | 4.6 | 4.2 | 1,900+ |
Online casinos aren’t legally allowed to operate in Illinois. The Illinois Gaming Board only permits in-person real money casino gaming at one of the licensed retail casino sites.
The only way that you are going to be able to legally play online casino games in Illinois is to use a sweepstakes casino. After all, these sites don’t feature real money gambling and therefore won’t require the same levels of regulation.
Gambling in Illinois has been around since the 1800s where unlicensed riverboat casinos were in operation. There was also a boom in horse racing betting in the 1920s which led to the creation of the Illinois Racing Board to oversee operations at the state's three licensed racetracks.
Since then, there has been the establishment of the Illinois Lottery in 1974, while the first riverboat casinos were legally allowed to operate within the state in 1991. However, the biggest change came when online sports betting became legal in Illinois in 2019.
Hopes are high that Illinois could be one of the next states in the US to legalize online casino gaming. 2024 was two iGaming bills brought to the state's legislative session but it remains to be seen when these will be discussed and if they can successfully bring legal casino gaming to the Prairie State.
While you’d be wasting your time looking for the best real money online casino in Illinois at the moment, the Prairie State does offer some alternative forms of gambling. These include the following:
You will have to be at least 21 years old to gamble in Illinois. As such you will be expected to present some form of government-issued photo ID such as your passport or driver’s license to legally gamble in the Prairie State.
Yes, you will have to pay taxes on your net casino winnings over $5,000 in Illinois. The tax rate is set at 4.95%.
Most sweepstakes casinos will have a similar range of games as those found at real-life online casinos. This means that you could expect to play slots, table games, live dealer games and many of the following popular games:
| Game name | RTP | Provider | Where to play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crash | 99% | Stake Originals | Stake.us |
| Big Bass Return to the Races | 96.07% | Pragmatic Play | Real Prize |
| Dead, Dead or Deader | 96.09% | No Limit City | Wow Vegas |
All top US online casinos have deals for new and existing customers and that extends to the sweeps casinos listed here. Take a look at just some of the types of deals you can get below:
While you can always play at sweeps casinos for free, you will get the option to purchase one of the Gold Coins packages. Here are some of the most common payment methods for doing so:
| Payment method | Payment time | Redemption time | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit and debit cards | Instant | Usually within 10 days | None |
| Ewallets | Usually instant | Usually within 10 days | None |
| Bank transfers | 2-3 working days | Usually within 10 days | None |
You’ll find around a dozen retail casinos in Illinois and here are a few of them:
All sweeps casinos will have to impress us on the following criteria before we recommend them to you:
You should only ever use sweepstakes casinos in a way that is responsible and in control. If you feel like you need help, then visit a responsible gambling organization such as one of the following:
We’ve shown you that you cannot play at an Illinois online casino with real money but there is little stopping you from signing up to any of the sweepstakes casinos listed on this page. Not only are these sites legal all over the Prairie State, but they have lots of no deposit casino bonuses to keep you playing for free. So sign up to one of these sweeps casinos and start playing.
You cannot use real money online casinos in Illinois, but you can use sweepstakes casinos like the ones listed in this guide.
It depends on what you are looking for, but brands like BetMGM and Caesars are pretty popular. Just note that real money online casino gaming is illegal in IL.
Yes, sweepstakes casinos like Stake.us and High 5 Casino have their own mobile apps that you can download for free to your iOS or Android device.
21+ and present in OH. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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