Unlike other states, Illinois is very specific in its laws and regulations implemented. Thus, anyone going against these laws and regulations is committing a felony and will be convicted. Any gambling activities in an unlicensed establishment falls under a Class 4 felony.

The good news is that Illinois is a liberal state that has chosen to embrace the gambling industry rather than show it the door. Most popular forms of gambling have been legalised within this state over the years and now even more gaming activities are being written into the range of acceptable and regulated variants available in the state.

The racing industry was the first to be created in Illinois back in 1927 during the Great Depression. Like many other states, Illinois jumped at the chance to increase revenues during this trying time. Then a couple of years later they were among the first to start a state lottery. The Illinois Lottery was launched in 1974. It is the oldest in the country and the state holds lotto drawing and sells scratch-off tickets. The Illinois Lottery includes Lucky Day Lotto, Lotto Extra Shot and interstate lotto’s Powerball and Mega Millions.

Bingo players waited nearly a decade from the launch of the lottery for the legalization of Bingo games. Bingo was brought to Illinois in 1983 and 1991 it was a proper celebration with the legalization of casinos. The Riverboat Gambling Act passed in 1990 allowed for Illinois casinos to open on riverboats. These casinos were filled with a variety of Poker, Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette and other table games. Another great addition to these casinos is a poker room were many big poker tournaments are hosted annually. The laws were strict at first forcing boats to be on the water and leave the dock two hours for the first decade. In 1999 the laws were altered allowing these casinos to become more traditional and remain on the dock.

In 2008 there was a massive revenue decrease with the implementation of a casino smoking ban just before the Great Recession. The ban resulted in a 20% loss of gambling revenue as many smoking gamblers chose to find casinos beyond the borders that permitted smoking. The ban along with the recession resulted in major revenue loss for the state. So much so that by 2015 the state had to stop paying big lottery winners due to a budget deadlock in the state legislature.

Apart from the riverboat casinos, there are slots and video poker games that can be found in bars, restaurants, gas stations and at many charitable organizations. It is believed that there are over 4,500 video gaming establishments and businesses hosting 18,000 machines within the state.

The new Gambling Act was signed into law on June 28, 2019, and it makes a range of significant changes to the laws. These changes are still being worked through and being implemented in the state. The new Act will see the addition of 6 new casinos, 20 sportsbooks and thousands of new gaming positions. 

The different forms of legal gambling within the state of Illinois is licensed and regulated by different authorities.
The Illinois Racing Board (IRC) regulates all forms of horse race betting. The IRC is made up out of 11 members appointed by the Governor with advice and consent of the Senate.

The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) is in charge of regulating all riverboat and casino gambling operations, video gaming operations and sports wagering operations within the state. The IGB will conduct audits, investigative and financial analysis to ensure all gambling operations are legit and legal. The IGB is made up out of five board members that have been appointed by the Governor based on advice and consent from the Senate.

The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) licenses and regulates all bingo game activities as well as all games of chance including cards, dice, wheels and random selection of numbers or gambling tickets at charitable events.

Then there is the Illinois Lottery Control Board (ILCB) and the Department of Lottery who have been put in charge of the regulation of the State Lottery. When it comes to raffles the governing body of any county or municipality has the authority to establish a specific system for licensing of raffle organizations. This is all made possible through the Raffles and Poker Runs Act.

All sweepstakes and promotions are controlled by the Attorney General or State’s Attorney under the Prizes and Gifts Act.With the new Gambling Act 2019 in place, online gambling and daily fantasy sports have been legalised. With the new bill in place, an Internet Gaming Act will be created which will result in an internet gaming division being opened on the Illinois Gaming Board. This board will be responsible for the licensing and regulation of all online gaming and daily fantasy sports licenses and regulations.

For each different form of gambling available in Illinois, there is a board that license, permits, authorizes and approves it. Illinois is said to become a Midwest gambling Mecca embracing all forms of gambling entertainment. If all goes well the majority of gambling activities should be legal, licensed and regulated by the end of 2020.