Online Sports Betting in Illinois in 2020

History was made back in May 2018 when the US Supreme Court overturned the 1992 federal law that effectively banned online sports betting. One state that had been instrumental in challenging the status quo was New Jersey which took it upon its Attorney General to fight the unfair discrimination against online gambling. After a lengthy court battle, New Jersey managed to successfully overturn the ban, thus paving the way for every US state to pass its own laws with regards to the legalization of online gambling and sports betting.

Ironically, it was a senator from the same state, Bill Bradley, who had been one of the most vocal opponents of the proposed change. As a former basketball pro, he aired concerns that, once betting was allowed on the sport in an official way, it would start to challenge its integrity.

Up until the Supreme Court allowed states to pass their own laws, this had also been the position of all of the major sports leagues too who believed that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act should remain in force. However, the Supreme Court ruled that it would be unconstitutional to enforce a federal law across all states. Instead, each individual should be allowed to determine its own policy with regards to online gambling.

Some were quick off the mark to start the process of allowing sports betting. Unsurprisingly, New Jersey was first out of the blocks, along with Delaware, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Illinois was a little slower to get off the mark, so it wasn’t until March of 2020 that online sports betting became fully legal and until July 4th that sports betting operators were allowed to launch their online sportsbooks and mobile apps in the state. By the end of July, Illinois residents placed $52.5 million in wagers. What’s more, 92% of these sports bets were placed online with the most popular sports being golf, soccer and basketball.

But it’s believed that it’s going to be the NFL season that sees the real spike in online sports betting in the state and, although it’s increasingly unlikely that the Bears will make the playoffs this season, there will undoubtedly be plenty of fans willing to bet on a miracle.

 

Current laws governing online sports betting in Illinois

Following a fairly tortuous process that had two distinct phases, the new laws governing sports betting in Illinois are a little more complex than in some other states.

16 licenses have been granted to casinos, racetracks and stadiums allowing them to introduce sports betting mobile apps. Racetracks and casinos are allowed to operate across the entire state. Stadiums, on the other hand, have restrictions in place allowing only players overusing within five blocks of the venue to place sports bets via mobile apps. For the first 18 months, mobile app user registrations will also have to be made in person at  specific venues, after which this restriction is likely to be lifted.

When it comes to online-only sportsbooks, three licenses have been issued, two of which have become operational since Illinois allowed online sports wagering from June 2019. This includes BetRivers and PointsBet which we have previously covered. 

To be clear, it is fairly unusual in other states that have approved online sportsbooks to have restrictions tied to online casinos and sportsbooks. That said, this is on-brand with Illinois’ long history of convoluted laws. For the most part, when states like Pennsylvania, Delaware or New Jersey legalized online gambling, the laws applied to both gambling and sports betting. For now though, in Illinois, only online sports betting is allowed. 

 

How to place an online sports bet in Illinois

As to placing bets with an online Illinois sportsbooks, this is a relatively simple four-step process:

1) Pick a sportsbook

The first thing to do is choose which online operator you’re going to go with. For example, if you have been walking around Chicago lately, particularly in Lakeview and River North, you would have seen big shiny ads on buildings and close to the highway for DraftKings, Pointsbet and River Casino. Feel free to choose whichever sportsbook works best for you. Each sportsbook mobile app will offer different features, as well as different welcome bonuses to attract new players so just pick the one that seems to be offering the best deal for you.

2) Register your account online

This is a pretty easy process in which you’ll just have to fill in a mobile form requiring proof of identity and that you’re over the age of 21. This should only take a couple of minutes and you’ll be almost ready to go.

3) Make your first deposit

Then, deposit some money with the mobile app you have chosen. There’s a good chance that, for the first time you do this, the sportsbook will match that deposit up to a certain maximum level.

4) Start betting

Finally, you’re ready to go so it’s time to start checking out the bet lines available and the spread for your chosen sport and deciding what to bet on. It’s as easy as that.

 

Summary

Of course, this is only the start for sports betting in Illinois and more and more options are sure to develop. There’s a lot of talks about finally getting a casino opened in Chicago and also the future of online gambling as a whole in the state.  

So, there’s never been a better time to be a sports betting fan in The Land of Lincoln, and the best is probably yet to come.

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