Best Sports Betting in Illinois
Top online sports betting – from the comfort of home!
Find the best sports betting sites in Illinois right here!
Are you ready to dive into the best betting sites Illinois has to offer? Then you’ve come to the right place! Learn what the top sports betting sites are, how to get the biggest welcome bonuses, rewards, free bets, and more – right here.
Keep reading to learn more about the best online betting sites in Illinois, or head on over to our main Illinois page to get in-depth information on how to place your first bet!
BEST ILLINOIS SPORTS BETTING APPS
Caesars Sportsbook
$1,000 First Bet on Caesars
Promo code: WINAMERICA1000
PointsBet Sportsbook
Get up to $1,000 in Second Chance Bets
No Code Needed
DraftKings Sportsbook
Get a Play-Through Bonus up to $1,000
No Code Needed
BetRivers Sportsbook
2nd Chance Bet Up To $500
Promo code: SPORTS
The story of legal online sports betting in Illinois
In 2019, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Illinois’s Sports Wagering Act into law. By 2020, sports betting in Illinois was officially legalized, and on March 9th, the first retail bets were placed. By June, online wagering was a go – and the rest, as they say, is history!
It comes as no surprise that Illinois didn’t take long to establish itself as one of the busiest sports betting states in the nation.
With a large choice of providers, sports fans in the Prairie State have been signing up to legal sports betting apps and websites at record levels. The competition among the sportsbooks for market share is fierce! That’s great news for new sports betting fans in Illinois, as generous sign-up bonuses are widely available!
Keep reading to find out where to find all the best online sportsbook welcome bonuses and more.
How Betting America ensures our Illinois sportsbooks are legal and secure
To make it onto our list of the best online betting sites in Illinois, sportsbooks have to pass some stringent requirements. This includes:
- Being fully legal and licensed
- Being affiliated with the relevant gambling authority in that state
- Having awesome reviews from real players
- Using secure, proven, and trustworthy software that protects player privacy
- Offering great customer support that’s available 24/7
Safety and regulation of sports betting in Illinois
Is Illinois online sports betting safe? Yes!
Online sports betting in Illinois is regulated by the Illinois Gaming Board. Once you sign up with a regulated sportsbook that is approved by them, it is completely safe. Founded in 1990, the Illinois Gaming Board is a five-member board appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate.
It is responsible for regulatory oversight of riverboat gambling, casino gambling, video gaming and sports betting in the Prairie State. It ensures all operators are comprehensively vetted so your funds, identity and privacy are totally secure when placing wagers online.
The Betting America difference
Our mission is to match dedicated players (like you!) with the very best online sports betting platforms in Illinois. If a website has made it onto our list of best online sportsbooks in Illinois, then you know for sure that it’s fully trustworthy, licensed, and legitimate.
More than that, you can count on receiving incredible promo deals, and most of all – a great sports betting experience!
FAQ
WHAT ARE THE BEST SPORTSBOOK PROMOS IN ILLINOIS?
Free Bets/No Deposit Bonus:
No-deposit bonuses are simple: you sign up to an account and on registration, you are given a free bet. You do not need to deposit but it is usually for new accounts only.Risk-Free Bets:
With a risk-free bet, you have the chance to place a wager where if you lose you get credited back the amount you lost in the form of a free bet. They are essentially a bet where you can’t lose, e.g. you place a risk-free $20 bet on the Patriots to win but they lose, you get a $20 free bet.Deposit/Match Bonus:
Matched Bonuses are usually on your first deposit only. It requires you to deposit and the sportsbook will match your deposit amount or a % of your deposit. There are typically playthrough requirements to release these bonuses. In some cases there might only be a 1x playthrough requirement but others can be up to 50x. The latter makes the offer not as attractive because you will have to make a lot of bets before your bonus money is available to withdraw.Reload Bonus:
Reload bonuses are offered from time to time. You re-deposit money into an already established account and get some form of site credit. It is usually in the form of a matched bonus.Refer A Friend:
This is a bonus you get for referring a friend to register a new account with one of the sportsbooks or casinos. When they complete their account registration, make a deposit, or place their first bet you get credit to your account. The exact form of credit depends on your specific provider’s offer.Insurance/Refund/Cashback:
Will be a refund/site credit on net losses or a % of net losses. These are usually subject to certain playthrough requirements and a specified timeframe.Odds Boosts:
The player receives better odds for a particular sporting event. Example: a boxer who is +120 to win a fight might be boosted to +140 on a particular site. This gives extra value to the bettor.Loyalty/Bonus Programs:
Bonuses and VIP Awards are given when you play through a certain amount of money and are usually released in small increments. Some sportsbooks may offer these VIP rewards in the form of tickets to sporting events for high volume/ high wagering bettors. Not all sportsbooks offer VIP Rewards.FREE BETS AND BONUSES AT IL SPORTSBOOKS
The best sportsbooks in Illinois offer a variety of incentives to new users. Some will give you a free bet just for signing up a new account. The more common offer is to give a bonus to new players when they make their first deposit. The bonus is usually proportional to the size of the deposit and can be in the form of a free bet or a risk-free bet.
BEST SPORTS BETTING SITES IN ILLINOIS
CAESARS
One of the biggest names in the world of gambling entertainment. Rebranded from William Hill in 2021 and is a hugely popular option for US bettors. Easy to use software and favorable odds makes Caesars Sportsbook a fan favorite. Excellent bonuses available for new users, and definitely one of our top recommendations for the best online betting sites in Illinois!
⦁ Visit Caesars Sportsbook and Claim Welcome Bonus
POINTSBET
One of the newest and most exciting entrants to the sports betting scene. Following on from its success in Australia, PointsBet brings its own unique “PointsBetting” product to the US market. Traditional fixed odds betting also available, good software and plenty of weekly promotions. A must-try, and for sure one of our top sports betting sites.
⦁ Visit PointsBet and Claim Welcome Bonus
DRAFTKINGS
DraftKings Sportsbook has taken its Fantasy Sports success to the fully legal sports betting market. The DK platform offers a full range of sports and markets to bet on and the software is easy to use. DraftKings is at the forefront of America’s regulated betting industry and consistently launches on Day One when a new legal state goes live.
⦁ DraftKings Sportsbook Review
⦁ Visit DraftKings and Claim Welcome Bonus
BETRIVERS
What makes this one of the best betting sites in Illinois? BetRivers Sportsbook has seen a rapid growth in popularity. A sister brand to SugarHouse sportsbook and casino, it offers a highly trusted platform and industry leading customer support. Originally known for its casino offerings, BetRivers has taken to sports betting like a duck to water. There is a generous bonus available to users who have not previously registered a BetRivers online account.
Ready to get started? Great! Head on over to our main Illinois betting page for step-by-step instructions on opening an account, making a deposit, and all the exciting types of wagers you can place on the best online betting sites in Illinois!
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