Illinois is in the process of changing the laws surrounding gambling in the state, both on and offline.
Best Casinos in Chicago, IL - Rivers Casino, Horseshoe Hammond Casino, Ameristar Casino Hotel East Chicago, Majestic Star Casino, Big Top 2, Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas, Kiki's Gaming Lounge, Slots of Candy, Tailgator's, Tracy's. Rivers Casino is in more northern Chicago, and is just 2 miles east of O’Hare International Airport, just off of Interstate 294. It’s the closest casino to many northern Chicago suburbs, including Evanston, Arlington Heights, and Mt. This casino does not have a hotel.
While online casinos are still deemed illegal in the state, online sportsbooks have just started operating on mobile and desktop devices. If online sports betting does well for the state'seconomy, there is huge potential to expand online gambling in IL.
There are different ways you can gamble in the state offline, including racetracks and river casino boats.
The new bill that was introduced in 2019 permitted land-based casinos to start operating in specific areas in IL, however, none have been able to open their doors just yet. This is due to thedelay caused by the Illinois Gaming Board who has yet to give a response to the riverboats that have applied for the license.
The vetting process has now taken a year, with the IGB expected to make a decision in the next few weeks. There are currently nine casino applicants.
Read more about the gambling laws in IL, the current status of land-based casinos, and when you can expect to be playing at an IL online casino, in our guide below.
Illinois Online Casinos
Although Illinois has a long tradition with some great riverboat casinos and a long history with gambling, it has not legalized online casinos just yet. There have been discussions oflegalizing online casinos, but it has not yet been approved by the senate.
A bill that was introduced in 2019 did legalize online sports betting and saw FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetRivers launch online sportsbooks in the state. It also allowed riverboat casinosto start applying for licenses to operate on land. But we'll get into that later.
For now, if you want to play at an online casino, you'll need to take a trip up to nearby Michigan.
But, you can still register with a legal online casino while you're in Illinois. That means you can get the casino's bonus offers or deposit, and then play whenever you're in stateswhere it's legal.
Land-Based Casinos in Illinois
Unlike Mississippi casinos, not all of the casinos in Illinois are open 24 hours, and Illinois casino laws limit the number of gaming licenses to 10. Up until2019, all casinos in IL had to operate as a riverboat casino.
Now, riverboat casinos are in the process of purchasing licenses to be able to operate on land.
There are five casinos in Illinois near Chicago, two casinos towards the center of the state, and three casinos in southern Illinois.
See our Chicago casinos section for more details on the five properties, as well as details on some casinos in Indiana that are within a short drive of Chicago.
All casinos in Illinois are non-smoking and, unless otherwise noted, all offer slots, video poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, and three-card poker.
Some Illinois casinos also offer: let it ride, baccarat, mini-baccarat, poker, Ultimate Texas hold 'em, Caribbean stud poker, Mississippi stud, pai gow poker, and four card poker.
The payback percentages on electronic gaming machines at all Illinois casinos are released as a matter of public record. Just click here to see a list of slot machine payback statistics for all Illinois casinos.
Types of Casinos in Illinois
There are two types of casino in IL; riverboats and pari-mutuel. While riverboat casinos are in the middle of a lengthy process trying to obtain a license to operate as a land-basedcasino, pari-mutuel betting has started to fade into the background.
There have been proposals on bringing slot games into the racetracks, however, have continuously been turned down.
Riverboat Casinos
All of the casinos in Illinois are riverboat casinos. Illinois was the second state to legalize riverboat gambling and the boats began operating in September 1991 with the launching of thefirst boat: the Alton Belle.
Seven of the riverboat casinos in Illinois are either on boats or on docked barges. These Illinois casinos remain dockside and do not cruise. The other three casinos: Rivers in DesPlaines, Jumer's in Rock Island, and the Casino Queen in East. St. Louis, are all land-based casinos.
Interestingly, however, they all qualify as being riverboat casinos because they are all built over a shallow pit filled with a few inches of water.
Pari-mutuel Casinos
Horse racing has been extremely popular in IL, especially in the 1930s to 80s. Unfortunately, the industry doesn't have nearly as close to as big of a turnout at the tracks today.
Still, there are three major horse tracks in Illinois:
- Fairmount Park - Collinsville
- Arlington Park - Arlington Heights
- Hawthorne Race Course - Cicero
All three tracks offer thoroughbred racing and stream every race to viewers across the United States.
Dog racing is illegal in the state of Illinois.
List of Land-Based Casinos in Illinois
Ameristar East Chicago
- 777 Aldis Ave, East Chicago, IN 46312
- 1 (219) 378-3000
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Caribbean Stud Poker, Spanish 21, Baccarat, Mini-Baccarat, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, Mississippi Stud, Poker
Argosy Casino Alton
- 1 Piasa St, Alton, IL 62002
- 1 (618) 474-7500
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Three-Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold 'em
Blue Chip Casino & Hotel
- 777 Blue Chip Dr, Michigan City, IN 46360
- 1 (219) 879-7711
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Caribbean Stud Poker, Three Card Poker, Mississippi Stud, Ultimate Texas Hold 'em, Poker
Casino Queen
Casino In Chicago Il With Hotel
- 200 S Front St, East St Louis, IL 62201
- 1 (618) 874-5000
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em
Grand Victoria Casino Elgin
- 250 S Grove Ave, Elgin, IL 60120
- 1 (847) 468-7000
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Poker, Three-Card Poker, Mini-Baccarat, Poker
Harrah's Joliet
- 151 N Joliet St, Joliet, IL 60432
- 1 (815) 740-7800
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Three Card Poker, Mini-Baccarat, Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em, Mississippi Stud, Poker
Harrah's Metropolis
River City Casino In Chicago Il
- 100 E Front St, Metropolis, IL 62960
- 1 (618) 524-2628
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Three-Card Poker, Mini-Baccarat, Let It Ride, Mississippi Stud
Hollywood Casino Aurora
- 1 W New York St, Aurora, IL 60506
- 1 (630) 801-7000
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Three-Card Poker, Mini-Baccarat, Mississippi Stud, Poker
Hollywood Casino Joliet
- 777 Hollywood Blvd, Joliet, IL 60436
- 1 (815) 744-9400
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Poker, Three-Card Poker, Mini-Baccarat, Mississippi Stud
Horseshoe Casino Hammond
- 777 Casino Center Dr, Hammond, IN 46320
- 1 (219) 473-7000
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Caribbean Stud Poker, Mini-Baccarat, Three Card Poker, Let it Ride, Poker, Big Six Wheel, Pai Gow, Baccarat, Mississippis Stud
Jumer's Casino & Hotel
- 777 Jumer Dr, Rock Island, IL 61201, United States
- 1 (309) 756-4600
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Three-Card Poker, Mississippi Stud, Poker
Majestic Star Casino & Hotel
- 1 Buffington Harbor Dr, Gary, IN 46406
- 1 (219) 977-7777
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Caribbean Stud Poker, Spanish 21, Baccarat, Mini-Baccarat, Big 6 Wheel, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, Poker,Mississippi Stud
New Casino In Chicago
Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino
- 21 Blackjack Blvd, East Peoria, IL 61611
- 1 (309) 698-7711
- Games Offered: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Mini-Baccarat, Caribbean Stud Poker, Three-Card Poker, Let It Ride, Mississippi Stud, Poker, Big Six Wheel
Rivers Casino - Des Plaines
- 3000 S River Rd, Des Plaines, IL 60018
- 1 (847) 795-0777
- Games: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Mini-Baccarat, Baccarat, Caribbean Stud Poker, Three Card Poker, Pai Gow Poker, Spanish 21, Texas Hold'em Bonus, Mississippi Stud