Illinois February 5, 2014 Adrian Sterne https://www.top10pokersites.net/author/adrian-sterne

IL Online Poker – Illinois’s Top Legal Real Money Poker Sites for 2023

by Adrian Sterne Updated: May 15, 2023

To sum up, if you’re from Illinois, you have plenty of opportunities to play legal online poker on a safe and trustworthy platform. We made sure that all of the sites featured on our list offered plenty of options in both cash games and tournaments.

Most of them even feature annual and seasonal tournaments with massive guaranteed prizes, so make sure to keep an eye on them once you join a poker platform you like.

Also, pay attention to welcome bonuses for new players, as they can give you a nice boost at the start of your online poker journey.

Where to Play Online Poker in Illinois

You will of course be able to play Poker for free online if you live or are residing in Illinois however by signing up today and making a deposit into one or more of our highly recommended Illinois online Poker sites then you will qualify for some rather large bankroll boosting new player sign up bonuses, the details of which are all listed below for you!

My list of the best US poker sites which I consider to be the best rooms to play in 2023:

  1. BetOnline Poker
  2. Ignition Poker
  3. Everygame Poker
  4. Juicy Stakes Poker
  5. Americas Cardroom
  6. Bovada Poker
  7. BlackChip Poker
  8. SportsBetting Poker

100% Legal & Licensed Verified Bonus Mobile Friendly Advertiser Disclosure. Must be +18 to participate.

RankPoker RoomsBonusReview...
1.
Bonus

100% up to $1000

(T&C apply. 18+)
Read ReviewVisit SiteDeposit Options

Features

  • 100% First deposit bonus
  • Promo Code: NEWBOL
  • Banking through cryptocurrencies
  • Top 3 in US player traffic

Payout Speed

1-3 days

Licensed by

Panama  
2.
Bonus

100% upto $3000

(T&C apply. 18+)
Read ReviewVisit SiteDeposit Options

Features

  • Increased Poker Crypto Bonus $1500
  • Exclusively for US players
  • Many Payment Options
  • Rich Player Traffic

Payout Speed

1-3 days

Licensed by

Kahnawake Gaming Commission  
3.
Bonus

200% upto $1000 Welcome Bonus

(T&C apply. 18+)
Read ReviewVisit SiteDeposit Options

Features

  • Recreational Player Traffic
  • Get a 200% Match on Your Initial Deposit
  • Wide Tournament Selection
  • High-Quality Games

Payout Speed

1 - 5 days

Licensed by

Curacao  
4.
Bonus

200% upto $1000 Welcome Bonus

(T&C apply. 18+)
Read ReviewVisit SiteDeposit Options

Features

  • 200% up to $1000 poker bonus
  • Bonus code: 1000JUICY
  • High-quality software
  • Competitive poker tournaments

Payout Speed

1 - 6 days

Licensed by

Curacao  
5.
Bonus

100% upto $1000

(T&C apply. 18+)
Read ReviewVisit SiteDeposit Options

Features

  • VIP Loyalty Program
  • Weekly Progressive Jackpot
  • Reliable Customer Support
  • US-Friendly

Payout Speed

1-3 days

Licensed by

Malta Gaming Authority  
6.
Bonus

100% up to $500

(T&C apply. 18+)
Read ReviewVisit SiteDeposit Options

Features

  • Guaranteed Tournaments
  • Quick, secure payouts

Payout Speed

1-3 days

Licensed by

Malta Gaming Authority  
7.
Bonus

100% upto $1000 Welcome Bonus

(T&C apply. 18+)
Read ReviewVisit SiteDeposit Options

Features

  • Rich Player Traffic
  • Special Promotions
  • Get Free $1,000
  • US-Friendly

Payout Speed

2 - 5 days

Licensed by

Unknown  
8.
Bonus

100% upto $1000

(T&C apply. 18+)
Read ReviewVisit SiteDeposit Options

Features

  • Up to $1000 Sign Up Bonus
  • Promo Code: NEWSB
  • Highly Responsive Customer Support
  • Easy-To-Orient
  • Soft Competition

Payout Speed

1-3 days

Licensed by

Panama  

Should you wish to take on a huge number of online Poker players then how about signing up to one of our top rated and licensed online US Poker sites that are licensed and fully regulated, you will find several of them listed below and with some very large promotions currently available at each listed Illinois Poker sites you will certainly get your online Poker playing experience off to a flying start!

All of the above Illinois State online poker site bonuses are subject to change at any time, should any of them be of interest to you please visit the respective Poker sites website for full terms and conditions of any bonus listed.

My video review on online poker in Illinois

 

Latest Online Poker News For Illinoisan Poker Players

April was a busy month for Illinois’ poker scene, thanks to the 2022/2023 WSOP Circuit — Chicago held at Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin. From April 6 to 17, players could take part in 16 events. The most important one was the $1,700 No-Limit Hold’em $750K GTD, which lasted for five days and generated a prize pool of $1,445,310.

Joshua Reichard was the last man standing out of 954 entrants, thus securing his 14th gold WSOPC ring. He now has the same number as Maurice Hawkins, and they are currently tied for first on the list of WSOPC players with the most rings. Reichard also won $253,073 and 912 POY points.

And while live poker keeps flourishing in the Land of Lincoln, online gambling bills proposed in February still haven’t gained any momentum. Despite the efforts made by IL State Senator Cristina Castro through SB1656 and Representative Edgar Gonzalez Jr through HB2239, Illinois legislators haven’t let these bills advance further than the Executive Committee and the House Rules Committee.

In other legislation-related news, we discovered that Representative Jonathan Carroll introduced HB4041 with an aim to allow online betting on Illinois college teams. According to the bill, online betting on college events should be permitted if “the wager is a tier 1 wager and the wager is not related to an individual athlete’s performance.” Check back next month to see how this bill is progressing.

How to Select a Good Online Illinois Poker Room

The list above consists of the best poker sites you can currently access in Illinois. If you’re unsure which is the best option for you, please read about our thorough selection process.

We made a comprehensive test that helped us determine which poker sites were worth your time and money and created this list. We tested each site’s availability, game offer, legality, safety, bonuses and more. Here’s a more detailed overview:

Available in Illinois

First of all, we made sure that Illinois residents can access all of the sites on our list. In other words, you will not stumble upon any geo-restricted platforms or run into any other roadblocks when it comes to accessing the sites.
Available Cash Games and Tournaments

Available Cash Games and Tournaments

The game offer plays an essential role on every poker site. We made sure that each platform on the list featured popular cash games and tournaments covering all of the most dominant poker variations, such as Texas Hold ’em and Omaha. However, some poker sites offer additional games, such as stud and draw poker.

The majority of cash games and tournaments are available daily, for both small and large stakes.

Legality and Security

Legality and Security

If you want to make sure that no illegal operations are going on in an online poker room, you should pick a site that’s reputable and licensed.

The site’s security measures are also important, as you want your sensitive data and money to remain safe. Our team of online poker experts selected platforms with long and successful histories, with no security breaches. All of them feature state-of-the-art security protocols, such as SSL encryption.

Poker Traffic

Poker Traffic

Many poker sites face player-liquidity issues. This is a fancy way of saying that there are not enough players to start a tournament. The good news is that most of the websites included on this page accept players from all over the world, so there will always be somebody you can play poker with.
Payment Options

Payment Options

To play poker for real money, you need to make a deposit first. We picked platforms with plenty of deposit and withdrawal methods for players from Illinois. Moreover, we made sure that the deposits were instant, and no additional fees were charged when making transactions.
Customer Support

Customer Support

Both new and experienced online poker players often have questions. Support agents are there to answer these questions and improve the players’ overall experience. We ensured that all of the sites listed on this page offered excellent support for players from Illinois.
Bonuses for New and Regular Players

Bonuses for New and Regular Players

Finally, bonuses are an integral part of every online poker platform. Each of the Illinois legal poker sites listed on this page offers some kind of welcome bonus for new users in IL.

Bonuses can sometimes be misleading, so we took the liberty of exploring their respective T&C to find more about their real value. Online poker sites that failed to live up to our bonus value standard didn’t make it onto the final list.

Online Poker IllinoisTechnically speaking, online poker is not legal in Illinois. Therefore, you won’t find any local online rooms offering their services to Prairie State players. You can legally play only sweepstakes poker from IL.

However, you are free to join any offshore licensed online poker site and play cash games and tournaments there.

It’s safe to assume that online poker will become fully legal in Illinois soon, as the state has a comparatively positive outlook on gambling overall. The Senate pushed a bill legalizing online poker back in 2017, but not much has happened since then.

Benefits of Playing Online Poker in Illinois

You will now be able to play online Poker not only on your computer or laptop, but thanks to lots of the above named and listed Illinois Poker sites now offering mobile Poker sites you can log on from anywhere in the US State or Illinois and play Poker for free or for real money on your cell phone or any type of mobile device!

Also we have yet to hear of a land based Poker venue that is going to reward your with anywhere as near or any type of Poker comps when you play for real money, but this is something that all Illinois Poker players are going to be able to do when playing online, and you really are going to be amazed by just how quickly Poker comps can accumulate when you are playing online Poker or Poker on a mobile device or cell phone!

Famous Poker Players From Illinois

Barry GreensteinYou will have surely heard of the professional Poker player Barry Greenstein, for he not only is from Illinois, but he has earned himself the nickname the Robin Hood of Poker.

As well as being a great Poker player he is best known for donating his Poker Tournament winnings to Children’s Charities, he really is a great character and an ambassador for the game of Poker!

Other Resources

FAQs

Before you start to play poker online in Illinois, please take a few moments to read through the following answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about playing poker from within the Illinois State boundaries.

What is the minimum gambling age in Illinois?

The minimum age for the lottery is 18, but for casinos, it’s 21. Therefore, if you’re not at least 21, please don’t register on online poker sites.

Are there any bonuses offered to poker players from Illinois?

All poker platforms featured on this page offer welcome bonuses for new customers. These are usually deposit bonuses, awarded once you make your first deposit.Poker sites also actively work on retaining regular customers, which is why there are plenty of promos for them as well. Make sure to keep an eye on the Promotions page on the platform of your choice to learn about the latest offers.

Can I use cryptocurrencies to make deposits on Illinois poker sites?

Some online poker sites offer cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals. Right now, Bitcoin is the most popular cryptocurrency, but there are poker sites that accept plenty of other cryptos, including Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash and more. Feel free to explore the available payment options once you’ve selected a poker platform to learn more about crypto transactions.

Are all deposits and withdrawals instant for Illinois residents?

Most deposit methods are instant on all of the poker sites featured on this page. However, platforms usually need to check every withdrawal request, meaning you’ll have to wait to withdraw your winnings. The withdrawal pending time is different on every platform, and it’s usually between one and five business days.

Are Illinois poker sites fishy?

There are a few less-than-transparent poker sites out there, but the ones on our list are all perfectly safe.

Do I have to download a client to play poker?

Some platforms require you to download and install dedicated software on your computer to be able to play poker. Others, you can access directly through your browser.

Can I sign up and play for free at an Illinois online Poker site just to see if I like it?

YES

Will it take an absolute age to get my winnings sent back to me in Illinois?

NO

Have all online Poker sites available to Illinois residents been certified as being fair?

YES

Are online Poker sites sign up bonus offers credited quickly into my Poker account?

YES

Will I be able to fund my Poker site account and play using US Dollars?

YES

About The Author

Adrian Sterne Editor

Hi, I am the Chief Editor of top10pokersites.net, this site is dedicated to all thing poker. I have been working around the poker industry for the last 15 years, with different brands. The main purpose of this site is to keep you uptodate with the industry and offer you the best deals around.