Illinois Gambling Laws and Age Restrictions

Illinois has some unique distinctions in the world of gambling. They were the first state to allow the sale of lottery tickets on the internet – and also the first to have explicit wording in their books to outlaw online gambling (at least for the operators). Combine this with a rich history of riverboat gambling and horse-racing, and you have an interesting background for this detailed look in Illinois gambling laws.

Here’s a quick-fire run-through of the history of gambling in Illinois, starting with the early racetracks and powering through to the current debate on internet gambling. After this, there is a game-by-game run-through of the current laws. Next up you will find some detail of the wording of the gambling pieces of the current laws – followed by a summary and look into the future.

Casino Gambling
You can play live casino games at 10 riverboat casinos. These used to need to be sailing before the games could be played, though since 1999 they are allowed to remain docked. There are also charitable casino events, which are separately licensed by the department of revenue. Legal provision was made in 2011 for more casinos, though we have yet to see these built.

Online Casinos
This is not allowed. Unlike in many states, online gambling is expressly outlawed in a 2009 act – which makes it an offense to operate an online Illinois gambling site.

Live Poker
You can find live poker games in the riverboat casinos, including a full tournament schedule. There is no special provision for social poker games under Illinois law, though no individual the player has ever been prosecuted for playing in one.

Online Poker
The operation of a gambling site is illegal and there are no regulated sites. There is some speculation that Illinois could have regulated online poker sites at some point in the near future.

Sports Betting only on-track pari-mutuel betting at recognized horse racing tracks is allowed while Lottery Betting is okay, for the State was the first to take their lottery online back in 2001.

Progressive legislation has allowed Illinois residents a free choice of many gambling pursuits – and has resulted in a lot of tax revenues for the State – which has no native tribes to share this with. The effects of recent laws including Video gaming machines and the expansion of casinos will be felt very soon – and if this is a success in terms of taxes, the legislature may be willing to consider further expansions.

Illinois gambling fits the bill for a State willing to legalize and regulate online poker. Though online gambling provisions were stripped from the latest bill, it is hoped that successful implementation of these games in other States will force a re-think at some point down the line.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Random-Outcome Generated Illinois Gambling Machines

Terminal Operators in Illinois VGTs Funding

Future of Illinois Gambling with Enacted Law