Illinois has become a huge hub on the sports gambling scene and is one of the top three states in which mobile betting is undertaken. The state has also been on an upward trend on the back of its ceasing of the annoying in-person registration requirement, with that being done away with on March 5.
Punters can now register for a sports betting account in Illinois remotely, which works out great as folks have several options as it pertains to apps.
The law in Illinois allows each of the state’s licensed retail sportsbooks to partner with a mobile sports betting operator. There are now six mobile sportsbooks available in Illinois, with more sites set to take up operation in the near future – the state still has to grant licenses to a number of bookies that operate strictly online.
Caesars Illinois, one of the biggest entities in gambling, is one of the avenues currently available in the state. The bookmaker is still growing rapidly, having acquired William Hill in recent times, and offers promo codes and other perks such as a bonus welcome offer as well as a neat rewards program. They have partnerships with a number of major sports leagues and networks such as the NFL and ESPN too.
Caesars also operates in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia.
Professional sports teams you could bet on in Illinois
Illinois has a number of teams from professional American leagues available for betting. We have some of the biggest ones listed below:
Chicago Blackhawks – NHL
The Blackhawks haven’t been very successful in recent times but still retain some of the most loyal fans in the NHL. They sold out 535 straight home games over a span of 13 years, with the streak starting in March 2008 and ending in October last year.
The Hawks have won six Stanley Cups but haven’t done so since the 2014/15 season. They haven’t won a playoff series since then either, and they haven’t finished in the top half of their division since the 2017/18 campaign.
Chicago Bulls – NBA
The Bulls hadn’t been relevant since Derrick Rose played there and, before that, the Michael Jordan era. They appear to be back this season under a new head coach in Billy Donovan. They had the best record in the Eastern Conference earlier in the season and, despite struggling after the All-Star break, are very likely to make the playoffs for what would be the first time in five years.
DeMar DeRozan, who was brought in this year, has built a formidable partnership with Zach LaVine; they’re two of the highest-scoring players in the NBA.
The Bulls have been one of the most popular teams in all of sports, thanks to their winning six championships during an eight-year span under former coach Phil Jackson, led by Jordan and Scottie Pippen. They haven’t won a playoff series since 2015 and haven’t played in the postseason since 2017.
Chicago Cubs – MLB
The Chicago Cubs are also one of the most popular franchises in sports. Playing at the iconic Wrigley Field, they won the World Series in 2016, bringing an end to a 108-year drought, which is the longest in the history of Major League baseball. That season was the second of six winning campaigns before they entered rebuild mode last year, trading multiple top players in Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, and Anthony Rizzo. There is hope for the future, though, with right-handed pitcher Marcus Strowman looking set to become one of the best.
Chicago White Sox – MLB
Another Major league Baseball outfit based in Chicago, the White Sox play their home games at the Guaranteed Rate Field on the South Side. They won the American League last year but lost to the Houston Astros in the Division Series.
The White Sox won the division by a clear 13 games and had the best home record therein. They won 93 games, the most since 2005. They’re one of the best pitching teams in the MLB while Liam Hendricks led the league in saves last season and was one of four White Sox pitchers to finish in the top 11 of the Cy Young Award voting.
Chicago Bears – NFL
The Bears haven’t won a playoff game in 12 years but fans can expect things to change following the firing of coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace.
They have been one of the worst teams in the NFL in passing offense but will hope Justin Fields, a former first-round pick will change that.
The team bought the Arlington International Racecourse last September and it’s believed they will look to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights, with their lease for the Soldier Field expiring in 2033.
