Illinois Sports Betting

In January 2018, a Senate bill called the "Sports Betting Consumer Protection Act" was introduced. The draft bill could "authorize sports betting or electronic sports betting by an electronic sports betting patron or sports betting facility patron." Hearings were held about the various bills, but no formal vote was taken. In June 2019, Governor JB Pritzker signed SB 690 to allow all casinos, racetracks and sports venues that hold 17,000 people or more a brick-and-mortar license to operate a sportsbook.

In March 2020, the first physical sportsbooks in Illinois casinos opened and online sports betting launched in June. As of the start of 2021, legal sports betting was available at eight retail sportsbook locations and via five online platforms. As of April, 2021, bettors must complete online registration in-person at a retail casino after Gov. J.B. Prtizker allowed remote registration through a series of executive orders, due to the pandemic.