Illinois

With ten legal sportsbooks available for download in the state along with retail locations, bettors in the Prairie State have no shortage of sports betting options.

Illinois is one of the most prominent states in the U.S. when it comes to sports, and since 2020, residents have been able to wager on sports in both a retail and mobile setting. There are no restrictions on betting on professional sports in Illinois, but betting on collegiate sports can get confusing. If a customer wants to wager on a local in-state college, they must do so at a retail location. As long as the bet they are trying to make doesn’t involve one of those schools, they can wager on it online.

Daily fantasy sports apps and horse racing betting are also available in Illinois, meaning that greyhound racing and esports betting are the only two things residents are not allowed to wager on.

Online sports betting in The Prairie State

It was not long after PASPA was overturned before Illinois legalized sports betting. In June 2019, the state decided to join the growing list of states that had joined the movement. The bill that changed everything in Illinois was SB 690, which allowed all casinos, race tracks, and sports venues to become retail betting facilities.

This would also bring about three online-only licenses, so both retail and mobile betting could launch around the same time. By March 2020, BetRivers became the first sportsbook to launch officially. Other significant operators have slowly followed the lead of BetRivers, as FanDuel, BetMGM, DraftKings, and Caesars were all operating in IL by the end of 2022. Most recently, theScore Bet and Bet365 debuted in the state.

Some states do not have the luxury Illinois does when it comes to mobile sportsbook variety. Since Illinois already had casinos and racetracks, the transition to sports betting was one of the smoother ones we’ve seen, and as a result, more licenses were issued.

If a sportsbook gains popularity over time or bursts onto the scene, there is always a good chance it will end up in Illinois. We have already seen a lot of movement regarding who is staying and leaving the market.

All legal IL sports betting apps in 2026 (from newest to oldest):

Top IL betting apps in terms of popularity

As of January 2026, DraftKings and FanDuel (35.29% + 31.48%) are the only sports betting apps with double-digit market shares in Illinois, and these two cover over two-thirds of all legal mobile sports wagers in the state, reflecting sustained dominance by the top two providers. DraftKings has dipped from 37.00% in 2024, while FanDuel also fell from 34.24%, indicating a slight erosion in duopoly control.

The most notable gainers in the past year are Fanatics Sportsbook, which increased its share from 5.96% to 9.13%—a robust rise as it captures mid-tier momentum—and Bet365, which launched in Illinois in March 2025. However, despite missing the first month of 2025, the IL betting market newcomer gained a 3.23% market share on its first calendar year.

Meanwhile, BetRivers' share moved from 6.32% down slightly to 5.42%. Among other operators losing ground, ESPN Bet decreased from 4.77% to 3.18%, and Caesars slipped from 4.61% to 4.09%. DraftKings and FanDuel remain strong, but their share reductions suggest emerging competitive threats, especially from newer brands.

In summary, while Illinois remains top-heavy, the single-digit challenger brands are gaining momentum—especially Fanatics and Bet365—and could chip away at the leading duo if the trend continues.

Sports betting & gambling legislation in IL

A bettor must be at least 21 years old to place a proper legal wager in Illinois. This applies to both online and retail wagers. The positive is that all bettors in the state who are at least 21 years old can create as many betting accounts as they please across the different products offered in the state. This rule, along with all other regulations and restrictions, is enforced by the Illinois Gaming Board.

Since the state changed its rules on remote registration in 2022, users can also create accounts from the comfort of their homes. Prior to March 2022, residents had to be inside an online operator's partner retail location to register for the mobile sportsbook. Whether a bettor places a bet in person or online, their winnings are subject to a flat tax rate of 4.95%. Recently, the state also approved a budget that will cause bettors to pay even more in taxes, as the law enforced a 25-cent tax on a bettor's first 20,000 wagers and 50 cents for every wager after that. This ruling has sparked considerable controversy among sports betting advocacy groups, who fear that more states may adopt this idea.

The only thing that remains illegal in Illinois is online casinos, which could change over time. However, given the current betting structure and the state's consistent monthly revenue, this topic likely isn’t a high priority. While online casinos or poker are not offered to residents, bettors in the state can play online sweepstakes poker and participate in the state lottery.

Encore bets and surprise guests: How Lollapalooza could inspire a new prop market

Chicago’s iconic Lollapalooza music festival isn’t just a prize for the ears of music fans, but it could become a revolutionary novelty betting market. The basic premise of this market would be allowing music fans to wager on which song a headliner, such as Kendrick Lamar, opens with or if someone like Billie Eilish closes her set with “Happier Than Ever.” With thousands of fans speculating online and pouring over leaked setlists, sportsbooks could flip that passion into prop markets.

These wagers wouldn’t affect the integrity of the performance but would flourish on fan knowledge, artist concert set list patterns, and tour history. Markets could include “First song played,” “Surprise guest appearance,” or “Encore prediction.” If legalized, even a sliver of Illinois’ $1 billion+ betting handle going toward festival bets could generate hundreds of thousands in new wagers and potentially tens of thousands in tax revenue.

Most recent updates from the IL sports betting scene

• January 13, 2026: BetRivers has lifted its minimum online wager in Illinois to $5, marking its second hike in less than a year as new taxes reshape the market. A per-bet state fee—$0.25 per ticket, or $0.50 for high-volume operators—has made tiny bets costly. Since the rule began, BetRivers’ bet count has plunged about 33% to 2.8 million.

• January 12, 2026: Illinois sports wagering is sliding sharply, with bets falling 15% year over year for a second straight year. Regulators logged 6.4 million fewer bets in October 2025 than a year earlier, following a 5 million drop in September. The Sports Betting Alliance blames the state’s per-bet tax, calling Illinois an outlier as betting grows elsewhere.

• January 8, 2026: The Chicago Cubs traded top prospect Owen Caissie and two other prospects to the Marlins for pitcher Edward Cabrera. The Cubs win total for the upcoming season is set at 88.5, with the over priced at (-120) on DraftKings.

• January 5, 2026: By earning the #2 seed in the NFC, the Chicago Bears will host the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round. Chicago sits as a (-1.5) favorite early in the week.

• January 2, 2026: After winning the NFC North for the first time since 2018, the Chicago Bears are (+950) to win the NFC with one regular-season game remaining.

• December 15, 2025: The Chicago Bears got back on track with a blowout win over the Browns in Week 15, leading them to a rematch with the Green Bay Packers in Week 16. The Bears have opened as (+1.5) home underdogs.

• December 10, 2025: To close out their season, the Illinois Fighting Illini will take on Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. The Illini have opened as (+5.5) underdogs.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

Casinos and race tracks existed in Illinois long before sports betting was an issue that states could address individually. When SB 690 was passed in June 2019, all of these locations became legally allowed to be retail sports betting locations, which resulted in plenty of partnerships with well-known operators.

As we head into 2026, there are currently 13 licensed permanent casino locations in Illinois, so residents have plenty of options for in-person betting.

How a casino at O’Hare could transform airport entertainment and profits

O’Hare International Airport is already one of the busiest travel hubs in the world, but could it also become a destination for high-stakes gambling? With millions of travelers passing through each year, a casino lounge inside O’Hare could revolutionize airport entertainment, offering everything from slot machines to sports betting kiosks for passengers with long layovers.

Airports in Las Vegas and Reno already feature slot machines, but that is far from a full-fledged casino. Illinois, known for its progressive approach to gambling expansion, could be the first to blend travel and gaming by introducing a gambling space within O’Hare.

This action could generate millions in extra revenue, appealing to both business travelers and high-rollers making international connections. However, regulatory challenges persist, as airport security and state gambling laws would require massive changes to permit real-money betting within a federally controlled space.

Still, as Illinois consistently seeks new ways to revolutionize the gaming industry, the concept of an airport casino might not be too far-fetched. If put into action, O’Hare could establish a precedent for a new era of global airport gambling.

CTA Prop Bets: Turn Frustrating Wait Times Into Wagering Wins

CTA delays are both a shared frustration and a bonding experience. Those are two things that play pretty well into gambling, so why not turn the wait into entertainment? Placing a lighthearted wager on whether the Red Line arrives within five minutes or if the Blue Line gets stuck in the loop again could help make the wait more manageable. With access to verified, real-time CTA data, novelty betting on Chicago train delays could become a surprisingly engaging micro-market.

While clearly humorous, this concept has real potential for gamified urban engagement. At the same time, there are morality concerns, among other things. However, if just a fraction of Chicago’s daily riders participated through geofenced betting apps, the result could be thousands in novelty wagers each week. After all, if commuters can’t avoid the delays, they might as well try to make some extra coin to pay for their next ride.

Other gambling-related news & stories from Illinois

• January 5, 2026: A small slot jackpot at Bally’s temporary Chicago casino turned into a public dispute after a player wasn’t paid right away. The man, an asylum seeker, won just over $1,200 in December, but staff delayed payment over doubts about his state-issued ID. After media attention and a weeklong standoff, Bally’s finally releases the winnings.

• January 2, 2026: A simple slip at the lottery machine changes everything for an Illinois player. Holly from Johnston City meant to buy a $2 ticket but accidentally chose a $20 game instead, all while distracted by a movie. The mix-up paid off spectacularly, turning her unintended purchase into a massive $250,000 win.

• December 12, 2025: Boyd Gaming wants to retire its floating casino in East Peoria and build a new venue on land without losing its “riverboat” status. The plan includes a large water basin under the building, fed by the Illinois River, to meet state rules. The proposed site would feature 29,000 square feet of gaming, event space, a steakhouse, and a pub.

• November 6, 2025: An Illinois lottery player strikes holiday gold by landing a $1 million prize from a seasonal scratch-off and plans to share it with their mother. The $20 winning ticket was bought at a Phillips 66 station in Fairview Heights, earning the store a $10,000 bonus. The winner, a fan of festive games, bought it while shopping with their mom.

Sports betting in neighboring states

Illinois is surrounded by states that follow similar sports betting legislation. The only surrounding state that does not have sports betting is Missouri, as Indiana, Kentucky, and Iowa all offer some form of betting, whether retail, online, or both.

Each state has a varying number of sportsbooks and casinos operating within it. To find more information on each of those locations, select the desired state below.

Sports betting revenue impact on Illinois' economy

Between the population and the large number of operators in the state, it's not surprising that Illinois consistently posts big monthly numbers when it comes to handle, revenue, and tax income. It has not become uncommon to see IL reach over $1 billion in a sports betting handle and over $60 million in monthly revenue, and the same story is estimated to continue throughout the 2025 calendar year.

The sheer volume of bets the state sees undoubtedly helps when it comes to Illinois' wagering tax revenue numbers, especially with the state's new taxing regime. In 2024, Illinois increased its sports betting tax from 15% to 20%, with a progressive scale that tops out at 40% for the top-tier operators generating annual adjusted revenue of at least $200 million.

After reporting the revenue data from May 2025, Illinois became just the third U.S. state—after New York and New Jersey—to surpass $50 billion in total sports bets since PASPA's repeal in 2018. In May alone, Illinois recorded $1.27 billion in wagers, marking its eighth straight $1B+ month and a nearly 25% year-over-year rise, trailing only New York in 2025.

Furthermore, in June 2025, the state passed their new budget for the Fiscal Year 2026, which also included a new tax structure for online sports betting operators. IL's new sports betting tax plan hits operators with a $0.25 fee per bet up to $20 million in the fiscal year's total handle, doubling to $0.50 per bet after that. Again, smaller operators won't feel much pain, but top-level Illinois sportsbooks, such as DraftKings and FanDuel, are set to bear the biggest burden. With this move, IL crossed the $1 billion in gained tax income milestone in September 2025.

By offering the amount of licenses Illinois does, the state has also made money through sports betting through this avenue. Every state’s licensing rules vary, and Illinois is no different. Online-only licenses have a $20 million fee, and each of them is valid for four years but can be renewed for a fee of $1 million. Retail license fees are based on 5% of the past year's or current year’s handle for that operator. However, the maximum an operator may be asked to pay in fees is $10 million.

Illinois sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: October 2025 ($1,604,945,179)

• Revenue: November 2024 ($154,606,065)

• Tax income: October 2025 ($57,807,508)

• Biggest monthly mobile handle to date by a single IL sportsbook app:

  • DraftKings (Oct. 2025): $563.4M

• Biggest recorded monthly revenue from online wagering in Illinois:

  • FanDuel (Jan. 2025): $62.0M

Latest IL sports betting revenue report breakdown (October 2025)

• Total betting handle: $1,604,945,179

  • Mobile betting handle: $1,567,754,084

  • Retail betting handle: $37,191,096

• Winnings paid to players: $1,465,683,784

  • Hold: 8.68%

• Adjusted (taxable) revenue: $135,014,114

• Total tax income for the state: $57,807,508

  • Tax based on sportsbooks' revenue: $41,520,045

  • Wager tax: $14,663,626

  • Expired tickets: $251,700

  • Cook County tax: $1,372,137

Reported by the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB).

What sports did IL bettors wager the most in October 2025?

1. Football ($416.3m placed bets)

2. Basketball ($180.8m)

3. Baseball ($118.5m)

4. Tennis ($110.3m)

5. Soccer ($56.0m)

6. Hockey ($34.8m)

7. Boxing/MMA ($8.7m)

8. Golf ($3.0m)

9. Motorsports ($604,252)

10. All other sports ($119.0m)

    • Total amount of parlay bets: $547.3m

Top mobile betting apps in the state in October 2025:

1. DraftKings (Casino Queen, Inc.)

   • Handle: $563.4m, Adjusted revenue: $49.4m

2. FanDuel (Fairmount Park, Inc.)

   • Handle: $494.0m, Revenue: $46.0m

3. Fanatics Sportsbook (Hawthorne Race Course, Inc.)

   • Handle: $118.0m, Revenue: $10.2m

4. BetRivers (Midwest Gaming & Entertainment, LLC)

   • Handle: $86.2m, Revenue: $7.4m

5. BetMGM (Par-A-Dice Gaming Corporation)

   • Handle: $76.0m, Revenue: $5.4m

6. Bet365 (Walker's Bluff Casino Resort)

   • Handle: $69.4m, Revenue: $5.6m

7. Caesars Sportsbook (Elgin Riverboat Resort)

   • Handle: $62.6m, Revenue: $2.9m

8. ESPN Bet (HC Aurora, LLC)

   • Handle: $52.4m, Revenue: $1.7m

9. Hard Rock Bet (815 Entertainment)

   • Handle: $34.1m, Revenue: $3.1m

10. Circa Sports (FHR-Illinois LLC)

    • Handle: $11.7m, Revenue: $327,119

Current Illinois' online betting market shares - October 2025

Online sports betting market shares in Illinois - Full 2024 calendar year

Recent revenue report data - Compared to the previous year (YoY)

IL sports betting revenue in 2026

Looking for the latest Illinois sports betting revenue data? Don't worry, we got you covered. The table below shows the monthly betting handle, revenue, and state tax figures, including the change from the previous month (percentage in brackets).

2025 betting revenue data

2024 revenue data

Yearly revenue totals

Deep dish or thin crust? Chicago pizza showdowns as prop betting events

In Illinois, where the sports betting handle exceeds $10 billion annually, the addition of novelty markets like Chicago Pizza Showdown Prop Bets could unlock untapped revenue potential. The iconic deep-dish versus thin-crust rivalry is more than a culinary feud; but it’s a cultural cornerstone. By transforming food festivals into bettable events, Illinois could monetize one of its most historical debates.

Bettors could wager on outcomes of either taste contests or eating competitions, all determined through judges’ panels or live counters. These bets could be adopted into existing sportsbooks or offered via mobile apps at culinary events like Pizza City Fest or Chicago Gourmet.

Even if just 0.1% of Illinois’s $10B handle came from pizza-related novelty wagers, that amounts to $10 million in additional wagers annually. At the current tax rate, Illinois could collect $1.5 million in fresh tax revenue from one culturally relevant market.

More importantly, these wagers would broaden the betting pool beyond traditional sports betting as they could attract foodies, tourists, and casual festival-goers. If Illinois continues to evolve its regulatory framework to incorporate cultural and entertainment-based markets, the state could unlock tens of millions in long-term taxable revenue.