Online Fantasy Sports Betting
Online sports betting and in-person sportsbooks are now live in Illinois.
Jun 23, 2014 Even better, most fantasy sports sites allow you to compete for cash without violating any gambling laws as long as your local regulations don’t prevent you from participating in online skill games. Betting Real Money on Fantasy Sports. The fantasy sports games offered by early sites weren’t all that different from their pen and paper. Best Online Fantasy Sports Leagues Football and basketball are the most common sports within the fantasy betting industry. You can do hockey and baseball at certain places, but football is insanely popular because, well it's football, and the NBA is particularly intriguing because there are a lot of games every night, unlike football. Feb 06, 2020 AP A New York appellate court ruled Thursday that online fantasy sports betting constitutes illegal gambling, upholding a lower court ruling that a 2016 law allowing it violated the state’s.
Fantasy Sports has truly turned into a worldwide phenomenon. Fantasy sports betting comes in different forms and shapes. From betting on fantasy horse races and other such events to daily fantasy sports which are sweeping through the world as a form of skill based sports betting, fantasy sports betting has truly grown during the last couple of years.
Rivers Casino Des Plaines took the first legal Illinois sports wager on March 9, 2020. Online sports betting went live later in the summer of 2020, and for now, accounts can be created from anywhere in the state.
Legal Illinois online sports betting
Here’s where we are right now with online betting in Illinois: You can sign up and wager from anywhere in the state at a number of sports betting apps. But it’s been a winding road to get there, and it may not stay that way.
BetRivers became the first online sportsbook to launch in Illinois on June 18, 2020. For a short time, people in Illinois could register an account online, make a deposit, and immediately start placing bets at BetRivers.
Gov. JB Pritzker responded to the realities of the coronavirus pandemic by issuing an executive ordersuspending the in-person registration requirement. The order superseded the law’s stipulation that people register for online sports betting accounts in-person for the first 18 months.
While he rescinded that order in July, it went back into effect in August, and it’s stayed that way ever since.
Best sports betting apps in Illinois
Online sports betting got off to an interesting start in Illinois in 2020. For now, here are the apps available in the state:
- BetRivers
- DraftKings Sportsbook
- FanDuel Sportsbook
- PointsBet
- William Hill
All are available for people in Illinois to place wagers, but you have to register for an account with the casino or racetrack associated with the sportsbook app.
As major sports start to get back underway in the US following the pandemic, additional Illinois sports betting apps are sure to come online. For now, the options for Illinois residents include:
DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings Sportsbook inked a deal with the Casino Queen in East St. Louis in order to offer sports betting in the state; right now, sportsbooks must partner with a land-based entity to offer mobile wagering. You can currently register your account from anywhere in the state thanks to an order from the governor, instead of having to visit the physical DraftKings at Casino Queen. But that ability could end on Sept. 19, unless the governor renews the order allowing remote registration.
DraftKings has been one of the early leaders in the rapid expansion of US sports betting as it has launched online sportsbooks in a number of states.
FanDuel Sportsbook
FanDuel launched an online sports betting app in the summer of 2020 as well thanks to a deal with Par-A-Dice Casino in East Peoria. After looking like it may stay on the sidelines for a while, FanDuel quickly moved to launch and take advantage of the ability to sign up bettors remotely.
FanDuel is the top sportsbook in the country in terms of revenue and wagers taken.
PointsBet
PointsBet became the fourth app to launch in Illinois when it opened for business in September 2020. The Australian sportsbook opened its doors thanks to a partnership with Hawthorne Race Course, one of Illinois’ three racetracks.
Fantasy Sports Betting
PointsBet is unique in the sports betting landscape thanks to its signature product, the Points Bet. Players bet on an established mark, like a point spread or total, but are rewarded or penalized according to the distance the actual score is from the estimate.
BetRivers
The first sports betting app in Illinois came from Rush Street Interactive, which is the online arm. Would-be bettors have to go to Rivers Casino Des Plaines near Chicago to register their BetRivers accounts under state law, although that is suspended by executive order at the moment.
BetRivers already offered online sports betting in a number of states, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
William Hill
Fantasy Betting Sites
One of the most ubiquitous sportsbooks in the legal US market started up its app in Illinois in time to take advantage of wagering during football season. The William Hill platform will feature bonuses and offers competitive with the other mobile IL sports betting apps.