Is sports betting legal in Illinois?

The law and the dates

Illinois legalized sports betting in 2019 with the Sports Wagering Act, 230 ILCS 45, which came in as Public Act 101-0031. The Illinois Gaming Board regulates it.

The start was a rough one. By the board's own account on its sports wagering reports page, in-person betting went live on 9 March 2020 and was suspended a week later, on 16 March, because of COVID-19. Online betting began on 18 June 2020, and the counters reopened on 1 July 2020.

When the law passed, the governor's office summarized its limits: you must be over 21, and you must be physically in the state when you bet. So the app will check where you are before it takes your money, and a bet from across the Indiana line won't go in on an Illinois account.

The college rule

This is the one that catches people. Under section 25(d) of the Act, a licensed book may not accept a wager on a sports event involving an Illinois college team. College sports are on the board otherwise; the home schools are not. If you want a piece of your old school's game, you won't find it on an Illinois menu.

I understand why a state writes that rule. Books worry about kids on a campus being leaned on to shave points, and a regulator worries about it more. It costs the bettor some games, and I'd call it a fair trade.

Who is licensed

The board keeps a page of authorized operating sportsbooks and says plainly that the online and retail books on it are the only operators it has authorized. When I checked it listed ten online brands and twelve retail sportsbooks at casinos and a racetrack. I'd look a book up on that list before I deposited, not take an ad's word for it. More than one licensed book means you can shop the price, which is the one edge every bettor has.

Winnings are taxable income; the IRS covers it in Topic 419.

Where the offshore books fit

An offshore book is not licensed by the Gaming Board, so if it slow pays or voids your ticket, the state has no hold on it. A licensed Illinois book is the one the board can fine or shut. Our offshore sportsbooks page explains how those books work, and the page on betting through a VPN covers why hiding your location tends to end badly.

The board points anyone who needs help to 1-800-GAMBLER, and our responsible gambling page has more on setting limits.

*Checked against the Illinois Gaming Board on 28 October 2026. Laws change; this page is re-checked every quarter. This is not legal advice.*