Online Poker Legalization Illinois
- Is Gambling Legal In Illinois
- Online Casinos Legal In Il
- Online Poker Legalization Illinois 2020
- Online Poker In Illinois
The law in the State of Illinois as it relates to gambling is quite clear. In some states, whether or not the present law applies to playing poker, or in particular, playing poker online may be subject to at least some interpretation, however the law of Illinois speaks very plainly on the subject:
- Illinois Gambling Laws - Legal Poker, Betting & Casinos. With its rich economic activity ranging from coal and timber deposits in the south, rich agricultural lands in the state's center, and dense population concentration around the greater Chicago area, Illinois is an economic powerhouse that anchors the entire Midwest, and enjoys fairly permissive views towards gambling.
- If you’re an Illinois resident pining for your state to legalize online poker or daily fantasy sports, you can contact your elected representatives here. The current effort to legalize online gambling. The effort isn’t completely out of the blue, nor is this Illinois’ first go-round with online gambling.
“Section 28-1. Gambling.
(a) A person commits gambling when he or she:
(1) knowingly plays a game of chance or skill for money or other thing of value, unless excepted in subsection (b) of this section;
(2) knowingly makes a wager upon the result of any game, contest, or any political nomination, appointment, or election” (1)
When legalized online poker launches in Illinois – which could be up to a year from the passage of a new law – there will be licensed online poker providers that partner with casinos to offer.
So subsection (1) would be the one that applies to poker, including online poker, as if you reside in Illinois and you are playing online poker for money then you are clearly playing a game for money.
What about the exceptions contained in subsection (b)? Well the list is a rather long one, but none of it includes playing poker unless it is at a charitable event or is specifically sanctioned by the state, which would exclude all forms of online poker since online poker is not currently sanctioned and regulated.
So basically, if the State of Illinois does not approve it specifically, it is illegal under state law, which applies to all forms of unauthorized gambling, not just poker.
I have read some people say that while state law does prohibit the setting up of gambling sites on the internet, it doesn’t specifically address whether playing on such internet gambling sites would be illegal. However, given that any gambling in Illinois that is not officially sanctioned is illegal, and gambling online surely consists of gambling, and this is definitely not state sanctioned, then it is very clearly not legal at all.
As is the case in other states though, just because playing online poker is against the law, this does not stop a lot of people from doing it, and they don’t worry about this as long as the law isn’t being enforced, and it’s not being enforced in any state right now, including in Illinois.
Illinois Online Poker Prospects
Illinois is the fifth most populous state in the United States, with a population of almost 13 million people. So this represents a very large potential market and could expand tax revenue in the state at a level that exceeds states like New Jersey and Nevada.
So with this money on the table, and given the fairly progressive attitude that the state has toward gambling, in 2013 a bill was presented that not only expanded the allowable number of casinos in the state, but also contained provisions to allow online gambling , including poker, to be legalized as well. (2)
The online gambling part of the bill ended up being stripped away during the debate that ensued, and eventually the entire bill became scrapped.
So there are two main issues here, expansion of casino gambling and expanding into regulating online gambling, and while the two may occur together, there may be more resistance to online gambling and that may take longer. There also may be more resistance to online gambling in general than there may be to just offering online poker as some states have done, although so far the focus has been on online gambling, and it’s true that this would provide more of the needed tax revenue that is being sought.
It may be a year or two before we see online gambling being regulated here, but there seems to be a strong enough will to see it happen to make Illinois one of the leading prospects in getting a bill passed in the foreseeable future.
Live Poker in Illinois
Fortunately, for those who crave live poker, there is a fair bit of action in and around the State of Illinois as far as live table action goes. A lot of this is centered around the Chicago area, but live poker rooms exist in other parts of the state as well, in addition to a good amount not far away in neighboring states such as Indiana, Iowa and Missouri.
Within Illinois itself, there are a total of seven poker rooms: The Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin (12 tables), Harrah’s Metropolis Casino in Metropolis (4 tables), the Hollywood Casino Joliet in Joliet (5 tables), the Par A Dice Casino in East Peoria (5 tables), Harrah’s Joliet in Joliet (8 tables), the Hollywood Casino Aurora in Aurora (15 tables), and Jumer’s Casino in Rock Island (6 tables). (3)
So in spite of these poker rooms all being on the smaller side with most being very small, with five of the seven containing a half a dozen tables or less, there still are opportunities out there, although nothing really beats the convenience of playing poker right in the comfort of your own home, and fortunately, no online poker room that offers play to residents of the United States has a problem accepting players from Illinois.
Online Poker In Illinois
Given that people in Illinois can choose to play at any site accepting Americans, here is our two top picks for you if you live in Illinois and are up for some online poker, which you can start enjoying right now in fact if you wish:
- Ignition Poker is an excellent place to play these days, especially with a great mix of real money traffic and bonuses. In fact, they offer a massive welcome bonus of 100% of your first deposit up to $1,000. They also give you a free $5 chip to use at their casino, which features hundreds of slots, table games and more.
- America’s Cardroom is another of our top picks who warmly welcome residents of Illinois, and they also feature some great poker action at any time of the day or night, whenever you are ready they are, as well as all of their players who are just waiting for you to join in on the fun. New depositors receive a match of their first deposit in bonus cash, to the tune of up to $1000 in free money.
References
(1) Illinois Compiled Statutes, 720-5 Article 28-1
(2) Illinois Online Poker Laws
(3) All Live And Online Poker Rooms In Illinois
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Is Gambling Legal In Illinois
The poker scene in Illinois is hit or miss. Much of it is still a grey area, with specific concerns like social gambling not being specifically addressed. That said, there are worse states for poker players to live in. Illinois residents still have options for real money poker, and the future looks relatively bright for real money online poker to be legalized.
Playing Poker Legally in Illinois
Is Online Poker Legal in Illinois?
Online poker is specifically mentioned in Illinois' laws. However, it's only in regards to operating an online poker site. It doesn't mention anything about playing at one.
Sec. 28‑1. Gambling.
(a) A person commits gambling when he:
(12) Knowingly establishes, maintains, or operates an Internet site that permits a person to play a game of chance or skill for money or other thing of value by means of the Internet or to make a wager upon the result of any game, contest, political nomination, appointment, or election by means of the Internet.
Despite not mentioning playing online poker games, one could assume that that's made illegal by this statute.
(a) A person commits gambling when he:
(1) Plays a game of chance or skill for money or other thing of value, unless excepted in subsection (b) of this Section; or
So even though it's possible to sign-up and play at online poker sites, that shouldn't lead you to assume that it's ok. It's definitely more illegal than legal.
What About Home Poker Games?
There aren't any laws specifically addressing home games or social gaming either. This is what I meant above by a grey area. You would think that it's not such a big deal so long as the organizer / operator of the game isn't taking a fee, rake, donation, etc. But that's not necessarily the case.
Sec. 28‑3. Keeping a Gambling Place.
A'gambling place' is any real estate, vehicle, boat or any other property whatsoever used for the purposes of gambling other than gambling conducted in the manner authorized by the Riverboat Gambling Act [230 ILCS 10/1 et seq.] or the Video Gaming Act [230 ICLS 40/1 et seq] . Any person who knowingly permits any premises or property owned or occupied by him or under his control to be used as a gambling place commits a Class A misdemeanor. Each subsequent offense is a Class 4 felony.
Even if you did find a legal loophole to running your own home game, would you want to knowing that it can lead to misdemeanors and felonies?
In February of 2012, a group of players found out the hard way. Police charged into their residence with guns drawn. The police proceeded to handcuff everyone and confiscate $3,000 in cash, chips and tables. However, only the operators of the game were charged. Everyone else was told they could go.
So even if home games are ok for the participants, I don't think I'd want to be there. Not if the police are going to knock the doors down with guns drawn, with there being the possibility of me losing whatever cash I had on me at the time.
Long story short -- I don't think I would mess with home poker games in Illinois.
Do Casinos in Illinois Offer Poker?
Absolutely.
You can play table games such as craps, blackjack and roulette, as well as poker, at a number of land-based and riverboat casinos including The Hollywood Casino and Empress Riverboat.
Illinois Poker FAQs
We receive a lot of questions regarding gambling and online poker in Illinois. We thought it would be helpful to everyone if we posted those questions and our answers here.
Will Illinois see regulated real money online poker?
Maybe. On one hand Illinois has already made it illegal for someone to operate an online gambling operation within the state. On the other hand they've made it legal to purchase lottery tickets over the internet. So you have to assume they see the potential in offering intrastate poker, especially after watching states like Nevada jump in.
Illinois Online Gambling / Poker Legislation Timeline
Here is a timeline of online gambling legislation / regulation in Illinois for the last several months. We'll update this as new information is released.
March 9, 2013 / Illinois Presents Bill That Address Online Gambling
Amongst other things, the introduced bill would permit online wagering. Not just poker though, but all forms of gambling.
March 28, 2013 / Governor Undecided About Online Poker
The governor has a difficult time deciding which way to learn, stating that online gambling is too new, and as a result, should not hastily be put into a bill.
April 12, 2013 / Conflicts Lead to Tension in New Gambling Bill
Conflict between gaming board member Aaron Jaffe and Senator Terry Link causes concern as to whether or not it will affect the new gambling bill to move forward.
April 28, 2013 / Illinois Bill Stripped of Online Gaming
Online Casinos Legal In Il
The legislation regarding online gaming has been stripped from the bill. However, the State Senate President promised to reintroduce the gambling provision as it's own bill. They have no idea when that might happen, though.
Is there an online poker room that accepts players from Illinois?
Yes. Despite online poker being illegal in Illinois (more than likely), poker sites are still accepting US customers from there, even though they’re not accepting US customers from other states against online gambling. Illinois residents can choose from several poker sites including Bovada, Sportsbetting Poker and Americas Cardroom, just to name a few.
What other forms of regulated gambling is offered in Illinois?
Illinois offers a lottery, charitable gambling and off-track wagering. Charitable gaming events can include games like pull tabs, craps, big six, gin rummy, roulette and blackjack.
Where can I read more about Illinois poker laws?
You can learn more about Illinois poker law at the following websites:
- Illinois Gaming Board - http://www.igb.illinois.gov
Online Poker Legalization Illinois 2020
Here are some interesting facts about gambling and poker in Illinois.
- Casino gambling can only be performed on riverboats.
- All waterways in the state can be used for riverboat gambling except for Lake Michigan.
- Riverboat is a loosely used term. When the law was first created it meant offshore gambling. Now the only requirement is that the casino needs to be held on a boat, regardless of where it's at.
- Famous pro and entrepreneur Tyler Caby graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in accounting. He later went on to create the poker training site, Cardrunners.
Additional Gambling Law Reviews
Online Poker In Illinois
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