Illinois online casinos: Play legal casino games online in IL

Oregon Live

17 April 2024

Illinois online casinos: Play legal casino games online in IL

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Online casinos have not yet been legalized in Illinois, but anyone 18 or older can play slots and table games at social and sweepstakes casinos in the state.

These sites allow you to play hundreds of casino games for fun. You can also redeem specific sweepstakes coins for cash prizes and gift cards when you win.

Below see a list of top sweepstakes casinos, which are legal in most states (excl. WA, MI, and ID). All have casino-style games which you can play for free or redeem cash prizes.

We’ve reviewed all the top sweeps casinos for game quality, game variety, software, bonuses, prize redemption speeds, and customer service. These are the top six options for players in Illinois.

Pulsz offers one of the most popular social casinos. After sign up you can download the app via the App Store or Google Play, and you will then have hundreds of slots, table games, and specialty games at your fingertips.

Best features: High-quality app, well-designed website, wide range of games, lots of bonuses
Games available:
Downloadable app? Yes
Prize redemption options: Cash prizes and gift cards
Free coins on sign-up? Yes, 2.3 free Sweepstakes Coins on registration
Minimum redemption: 100 SC for cash prize, 10 SC for gift card, which equates to $100 and $10, respectively
Best quote from Reddit: “It’s a legit site. The first withdrawal is the longest. About 3-4 says. All my other withdrawals usually about 24 hours.” -Halveylips111
Pros: Large range of games, lots of bonuses, high-quality app and website
Cons: No live dealer games, no live chat support, slower prize redemptions than some rivals
Why pick Pulsz over others? Most rivals do not offer a native app, and they offer a narrower range of games, too.

This established social casino has accepted players in Illinois since 2017. Chumba’s focus is on exclusive slots and live bingo games.

Best features: Unique slots, live bingo, trusted reputation
Games available: Approximately 100 slots, blackjack, video poker, casino solitaire, live bingo
Downloadable app? No
Prize redemption options: Cash prizes or gift cards
Free coins on sign-up? Yes, 2 million Gold Coins and 2 free Sweeps Coins
Minimum redemption: 100 SC for cash prize, 10 SC for gift card
Best quote from Reddit: “Totally legit… cashed out many times. Most at once was 7k but received the next day.” -Lifes-too-short88
Pros: Hosts unique slots and bingo games, easy-to-navigate website
Cons: Smaller range of games than some rivals, no live dealer games
Why pick Chumba Casino over others? The live bingo room gives Chumba Casino a point of difference with guaranteed monthly prizes of 125 billion Gold Coins and 2.5 million Sweeps Coins.

High 5 Casino has accepted players from Illinois for more than a decade. Parent company High 5 Games is one of the world’s leading suppliers of online casino games, and many of its titles are available at this social casino site.

Best features: Hosts a wide range of games from High 5, plus games from third-party providers such as NetEnt
Games available:
Downloadable app? Yes
Prize redemption options: Cash prizes or gift cards
Free coins on sign-up? Yes, 250 Game Coins and 5 free Sweeps Coins
Minimum redemption: 100 SC for a cash prize, 50 SC for a gift card
Best quote from Reddit: “High 5 is the best. Great games, fast cashout. They are legit. I more than doubled my money there.” -luckygirl7777
Pros: Impressive range of slots, lots of live dealer games, plenty of bonuses
Cons: Higher minimum prize redemption limit than rivals; some players may find the busy layout a little overwhelming.
Why pick High 5 Casino over others? This social casino has built a trustworthy reputation over more than a decade in Illinois, and it offers a range of games superior to those of most competitors.

LuckyLand Slots is a sister site to Chumba Casino. This social casino hosts unique slots developed by parent company VGW, and some of them carry large jackpots.

Best features: Unique slots, in-house progressive jackpot layouts, neatly-designed website
Games available: Slots, blackjack, video poker
Downloadable app? No
Prize redemption options: Cash prizes and gift cards
Free coins on sign-up? Yes, 7,777 Gold Coins and 10 free Sweeps Coins.
Minimum redemption: 100 SC for a cash prize, 10 SC for a gift card
Best quote from Reddit: “Never had any issues withdrawing. Two nights ago, I won roughly 10k there and withdrew right to the LuckyLand ATM debit card. I love instant withdrawals.” -gotwrench
Pros: Adds unique new slots to the range each month, lots of progressive jackpot slots, active social media community
Cons: Fewer games than some rival sites, does not offer a native app
Why pick LuckyLand Slots over others? The unique slots help this site stand out, and the progressive jackpots give you the chance to win thousands of Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins from a single spin.

WOW Vegas allows players in Illinois to try a huge variety of online slots. The site hosts games from multiple providers, including Pragmatic Play, 3 Oaks, Betsoft, Evoplay, and Booming Games. This social casino arranges the games neatly into categories.

Best features: Large range of video slots, regular prize drops and bonuses, excellent user interface
Games available: Approximately 900 slots, including Megaways slots, jackpot games, and hold and win slots
Downloadable app? No
Prize redemption options: Cash prizes
Free coins on sign-up? Yes, 250,000 WOW Coins and 5 free Sweepstakes Coins
Minimum redemption: 100 SC
Best quote from Reddit: “I won 17k on WOW Vegas. They only let you redeem 5k at a time, which is fine. I got my first 5k redemption this morning right on the day that their timetable said. So they are legit.” -Painter411980
Pros: Large range of video slots; website is stylish and easy to use; lots of bonuses are available.
Cons: Does not offer virtual table games or live dealer games; does not have a native app; no live chat or phone support available.
Why pick WOW Vegas over others?: This is the best online casino for slots players in Illinois, and it offers competitive bonuses, too.

This Irish- and luck-themed social casino launched in 2023. Its game library has swelled steadily since then, and it recently added live dealer games to complement the broad array of slots.

Best features: Strong range of games, progressive jackpot system called McJackpots, beginner-friendly website
Games available:
Downloadable app? Yes
Prize redemption options: Cash prizes and gift cards
Free coins on sign-up? Yes, 7,500 Gold Coins and 2.5 free Sweepstakes Coins
Minimum redemption: 75 SC for a cash prize, 10 SC for a gift card
Best quote from Reddit: “McLuck has been my favorite. Gotten the most wins, definitely better than Chumba in my opinion.” -AbilifyBaby
Pros: Wide range of games, lots of opportunities to land jackpots, reliable mobile app, lower cash prize redemption limit than rivals
Cons: Fewer slots than some competitors, does not host specialty games, not as established as some rivals
Why pick McLuck over others? This online casino offers regular bonuses, a large variety of games, and excellent software.

In short, you should avoid unregulated online casinos. These sites are based offshore, often in Costa Rica or Curaçao, and they have not obtained legal permission to operate in the United States.

However, they still target players based in Illinois. You cannot trust unregulated sites to treat you fairly, to keep your data safe, or to pay out when you request a withdrawal.

Unfortunately, many American players have been scammed after inadvertently signing up with offshore casinos. They fall victim to rigged games and bait-and-switch bonus scams, and they have no legal recourse, as the sites are unregulated.

These are some of the unregulated casinos to avoid:

Bovada
Ignition Casino
Cafe Casino
BetOnline
Wild Casino
MyBookie
DuckyLuck
SuperSlots

They do not adhere to state or federal laws, so the games at those sites have not been tested for fairness and accuracy by American authorities.

Offshore casinos may simply decide not to pay you, and there is nothing you can do about it. Therefore, we recommend sticking to social casinos such as Pulsz, Chumba Casino, and High 5 Casino instead.

No, Illinois has not legalized online casinos. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a major gambling expansion bill in June 2019, but it covered only land-based casinos and sportsbooks.

Lawmakers have introduced several bills seeking to legalize online casinos in Illinois, but they have not yet gained the requisite level of support. In 2023, Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, Jr. introduced the latest online casino bill, HB 2239. This bill is currently under consideration, as Illinois has two-year legislative sessions.

Yes, several forms of online gambling are legally available in Illinois, including sportsbooks, racebooks, and daily fantasy sports (DFS) apps. However, Illinois has not yet legalized online casinos or poker rooms, so social and sweeps casinos are popular in the state.

Social and sweepstakes casino sites are legally available in Illinois. They are covered by the Illinois Prizes and Gifts Act, which allows them to welcome players who are 18 or older.

Illinoisans can play slots and table games for fun at these sites. You can also unlock free Sweeps Coins, which can be redeemed for cash prizes if you successfully play them through.

Michigan is the nearest state with traditional online casinos. Apps like BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetRivers offer thousands of real money casino games in the Great Lakes State.

Illinoisans could potentially drive through Indiana, cross the Michigan border, and play online casino games via legal apps there. However, that is impractical for most players. It is quicker, easier, and far more convenient to play games at social and sweepstakes casinos instead.

For states further afield see:

Real money casinos and social casinos often look very similar. They also host the same types of games, but there are some significant differences.

Legal casino sites must adhere to strict consumer protection laws in the United States. Sites like WOW Vegas, Pulsz, McLuck, and High 5 Casino comply with Illinois sweepstakes laws and federal sweepstakes laws.

These sites must also implement industry-standard security measures and abide by responsible gambling regulations. They operate legally in Illinois, so you can complain to the relevant authorities if you are dissatisfied with the way you have been treated. This is not the case if you play at unregulated online casinos.

Illinois authorized 10 riverboat casinos in “economically depressed areas of the state” when it passed the Riverboat Gaming Act in 1990. These casinos are not actually based on rivers. They are either docked barges located close to riverbanks or brick-and-mortar casinos that sit on dry land over inch-deep water pits.

The Rebuild Illinois capital program, signed in June 2019, later authorized six new commercial casinos. Some of the applicants have already opened temporary casinos. They will soon launch permanent resorts, such as Bally’s Chicago and Golden Nugget Danville. Right now, these are the top retail casinos to visit in Illinois.

February 2024: HB 2239, Rep. Gonzalez’s online casino bill, had its first reading in the House.
January 2024: Rep. Edgar Gonzalez Jr. filed HB 2239, a bill aiming to legalize online casinos by creating the Internet Gaming Act.
January 2024: SB 1657, Sen. Castro’s latest online casino bill, was reassigned to the House’s executive committee.
February 2023: Sen. Castro filed SB 1656, another bill aiming to legalize online casinos in Illinois. It would allow each retail casino and racetrack in Illinois to host three online casino skins, with a 15% revenue tax applied.
October 2021: The legislative session ended without Sen. Castro’s bill gaining enough support.
February 2021: Sen. Cristina Casto filed SB 2072, a bill aiming to legalize Illinois online casinos.

In Illinois, anyone 18 or older can buy lottery tickets, place pari-mutuel bets on horse races, or participate in sweepstakes. The legal age for charity bingo and pull-tabs is also 18.

Players must be 21 or older to visit a land-based casino, use video gaming terminals, or bet on sports in the Prairie State.

The Illinois Gaming Board is the state’s primary regulator. The board oversees riverboat casinos, commercial casinos, racinos, sports betting, fantasy sports contests, and the video gaming terminals found at more than 8,000 licensed venues across Illinois, including stores and truck stops.

Meanwhile, the Illinois Racing Board regulates pari-mutuel wagering in the state. The Illinois Lottery oversees all lottery games, and the Illinois Department of Revenue regulates charity bingo games, pull-tabs, and jar games.