• Legality Of Online Poker In Illinois
• Illinois Online Poker Legalization

Illinois is one of the stingiest states when it comes to gambling. Aside from brick and mortar casinos, all forms of gambling is illegal. This includes games of chance, and games of skill. For more details on how to play poker in Illinois, read on.

Recommended Illinois Poker Site

So, to play poker well, you need to study hard. Studying well means that you know what and why you learned on a single day, and you have plans for how to use this knowledge in the future. It's time to work on the bugs. The secret of poker: working on bugs. Thriller themes are popular among users of poker. Illinois does specifically mention online poker, but not online poker players. Item 12 of Article 28 Section 1 specifically forbids anyone in Illinois from “ operating an internet site that permits a person to play a game of chance or skill for money of other things of value by means of the internet”. Technically 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. Online Gambling in Illinois Illinois has flirted with legalizing online casinos and poker sites since 2013, but all efforts to date have failed. As a result, online gambling remains prohibited, aside from sports betting and parimutuel horse racing betting.

What Are the Laws for Playing Poker in Illinois?

Illinois doesn’t single poker out in their laws.

However, their stance on gambling is clear. It’s illegal, and both games of skill and games of chance are included. So long as something of value is being wagered, it’s against the law.

What Are the Consequences of Being Caught?

If it’s your first time offense, the consequences of being caught gambling is a class A misdemeanor and some fines.

For subsequent (repeat) offenses, or something more extreme as running your own mini-casino, videogame terminal or running a betting operation, you could face felony charges.

Illinois is one of the few sites that that doesn’t care for gambling and enforces it. I have an example of this below. The bottom line is that you don’t really want to test them. The state of Illinois does enforce their gambling laws.

Can You Play Online Poker in Illinois?

No — given how strict their laws are, this shouldn’t come as a shock to you either.

You’d be lucky to find a poker site still running in the USA that accepts signups from players in Illinois anyway. From my experience, states that have stricter gambling laws are usually banned from these sites. You won’t be able to create a new account, and if you are able to, you’ll only be able to play free money games, assuming the account isn’t shut down shortly after creating it.

If you do manage to find a site that will accept new real money accounts from players in Illinois, I’d be weary of depositing there anyway. They could very well be the next target for the DOJ, or they’ll up and close shop overnight, or both.

Are Home Games Legal?

Home games are only legal if you’re not gambling aka you can’t play for real money.

Here is a good example of what can happen if you do anyway. Again, it’s merely a misdemeanor and fines if you do, but that’s your call whether it’s worth the risk or not.

Is Poker Spread in Illinois’ Brick and Mortar Casinos?

Yes, there are several casinos in Illinois that provide poker games. Here are some of the larger casinos and the games they currently offer.

The Hollywood Casino (Aurora) – The Hollywood Casino spreads 5/10, 10/20, 15/30 and 20/40 limit and 1/2 no limit seven days a week starting at 9:30 AM. They have bad beat jackpots that can be as high as 6 figures. There is also a Hollywood Casino in Joliet.

Harrahs – Find tournaments running for around $60. They also run WSOP circuit tournaments.

Jumer’s Casino and Hotel – Jumer’s runs tournaments Sundays through Wednesdays with buy-ins ranging from $40 to $80. They also spread cash games.

Poker Leagues in Illinois

There are a couple of poker leagues in Illinois. Keep in mind that no league should have a fee to enter — they should all be free, otherwise they’re against the law. Here is some info about the leagues currently running:

Deepstacks Poker League – Compete for prizes and promotions like buy-ins to local tournaments or WSOP events.

Chicago Charitable Games – A weekend poker tour that supports local causes.

Is Poker Legal in the Illinois?

Illinois is pretty strict about poker, but there legal ways to get into the game. To start with, gambling in general is made illegal, barring only a few specific exceptions, and most people will find it difficult or inconvenient to stay within the laws. Want to make sure that your next game is legal in Illinois? Read on for all of the messy details.

Find out which online poker sites accept players from the state of Illinois by reading our US online poker guide.

Are Home Poker Games Legal in the State of Illinois?

Assuming you are actually playing poker with real money, then no, home games are completely illegal. According to Article 28 Section 1 of the Illinois’ Penal Code: “A person commits gambling when he plays a game of chance or skill for money or other things of value.”

That’s right, both games of chance and skill are forbidden so poker isn’t even questionable. It is also a further offense to operate (host) a game of poker in your home. If you don’t think there’s any risk in hosting a game of poker in the state of Illinois, think again.

In the past, undercover police officers in Chicago have actually infiltrated friendly home games, confiscated the money as evidence, and then legally charged the players as criminals! This isn’t likely to happen to you, but why take the chance.

Do Casinos in Illinois Have Poker?

The casinos in Illinois earn revenue for the state government, and because of this, gambling is legal. While poker is included, only three of the casinos in Illinois even offer poker. One of these casinos even closes its poker tables on the weekends for some reason.

Legality Of Online Poker In Illinois

So where can you go to get a game? Try Crowning Victoria (22.5 hours a day, 7 days a week) and Hollywood Casino for Texas Hold ‘em. Obviously you don’t need to worry about the law while playing in one of these authorized establishments.

Is it Legal To Play Poker Online?

Illinois Online Poker Legalization

Illinois does specifically mention online poker, but not online poker players. Item 12 of Article 28 Section 1 specifically forbids anyone in Illinois from “operating an internet site that permits a person to play a game of chance or skill for money of other things of value by means of the internet”. Technically, playing poker online violates the same law that stops you from playing home games, but there are currently no enforcement measures to stop online poker players.

At the federal level, poker players are completely left out of the discussion, but your bank accounts aren’t so lucky. Whenever you try to make a deposit with a credit/debit card, your bank isn’t supposed to complete the transaction. On the flip side, they are also not allowed to cash your checks from online poker sites.

These laws aren’t airtight at the moment though, and online poker rooms have successfully circumvented the banking controls. Poker players successfully complete poker-related banking transactions every single day in Illinois as well as the rest of The United States.

Indiana - Indiana Poker Laws

Iowa - Iowa Poker Laws

Kansas - Kansas Poker Laws

Kentucky - Kentucky Poker Laws