State law brief
Illinois
Illinois pairs internet-specific language with a no-purchase exception
Sources reviewed Next review due
- Status on record
- Active enforcement
- Sweeps Coins redemption
- Not blocked by any state rule on our records
- Operators accepting players
- 48 scored operators, per our availability records
What makes the Illinois record different from a generic gambling citation?
Section 28-1 expressly addresses internet sites and also contains a no-payment exception. The Gaming Board then supplies a separate enforcement record involving named online casino and sweepstakes businesses.
What the law says
Illinois Criminal Code section 28-1 reaches a person who knowingly establishes, maintains, or operates an internet site that permits play of a game of chance or skill for money or another thing of value, subject to the statute's exceptions. A first gambling offense is generally a Class A misdemeanor, and repeat convictions under several operating or promotion provisions can become a Class 4 felony. The same section excludes qualifying games in which no payment or purchase is required to participate.
How it applies to dual-currency casinos
Illinois also has a current agency record rather than only abstract code language. The Illinois Gaming Board says it coordinated with the Attorney General and issued more than 60 cease-and-desist letters to entities it believed were operating illegal online casino or sweepstakes platforms. Those letters show the agencies' enforcement position toward identified businesses. They do not turn every product using the word sweepstakes into the same legal fact pattern, so the free-entry route and the thing-of-value element still require attention.
Enforcement on file
The Illinois Gaming Board reports more than 60 cease-and-desist letters issued with the Attorney General to businesses it believed operated illegal online casino or sweepstakes platforms. Those letters are agency actions toward identified entities, not final court judgments about every model.
Still unresolved
The remaining Illinois question is whether a specific free-entry path removes payment or purchase from participation under section 28-1 while other product features still involve a thing of value.
Sources we read
Information, not legal advice. State law, its enforcement and each operator's own terms change; for a decision that matters, talk to a lawyer licensed in Illinois. 21+ only.