Illinois · Sports betting
Is sports betting legal in Illinois?
Where sportsbooks stand in Illinois, where Kalshi, Polymarket and other prediction markets stand, and why the answers differ. Built from our sourced state records.
The short answer
Yes. Online sports betting is legal in Illinois. Online and retail sports betting regulated by the Illinois Gaming Board.1
Prediction markets are a separate question: we found no court order or regulator action stopping Kalshi from offering sports contracts in Illinois, as of Oct. 22, 2026.
Sportsbooks in Illinois
Sports betting in Illinois is legal online. Online and retail sports betting regulated by the Illinois Gaming Board.1 Gaming oversight: Illinois Gaming Board.
Prediction markets in Illinois
Our status for Illinois: In litigation. The state and a prediction market operator are actively in court, and no order blocking the operator is in force. A federal judge partly blocked Illinois from applying its sports-wagering license and criminal laws to Kalshi and Coinbase; fee questions remain open.
Latest action (Court order, Oct. 30, 2026): A consolidated preliminary injunction was entered barring enforcement of specified Illinois gambling laws against swaps, including sports event contracts, on CFTC-regulated exchanges; Illinois appealed the same day.2
We track 4 lawsuits involving Illinois. Federal appeals from Illinois go to the Seventh Circuit, where an appeal on the question is pending. Full record: prediction market laws in Illinois.
Which prediction market apps work in Illinois
| Platform | In Illinois | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Kalshi | No restriction found | |
| Polymarket US | No restriction found | |
| Coinbase | No restriction found | On 2026-10-02 the Northern District of Illinois partly granted Coinbase's preliminary-injunction motion (with the CFTC's and Kalshi's), finding Illinois's licensing provisions likely preempted. The fee issue was held over for more briefing. |
| Crypto.com | No restriction found | Named in the December 2025 spokesperson list of states without sports markets. On 2026-10-02 a federal judge partly granted injunctions to Coinbase, the CFTC and Kalshi against Illinois. North American Derivatives Exchange, d/b/a OG, appears in the caption as an intervenor plaintiff. Current Crypto.com status not confirmed. |
| DraftKings Predictions | Sports blocked | |
| Fanatics Markets | Not offered | Contracts trade on Crypto.com | Derivatives North America (Nadex rules). |
| FanDuel Predicts | Sports blocked | Contracts trade on CME Group (financial contracts) and Crypto.com | Derivatives North America / OG (sports, entertainment and combination contracts). |
| Gemini Predictions | No restriction found | Listed as excluded by DeFi Rate (updated 2026-10-10). Not confirmed from Gemini. |
| PrizePicks | Sports blocked | Contracts trade on Kalshi. |
| Robinhood | No restriction found | Contracts trade on KalshiEX, ForecastEx and Rothera Exchange and Clearing (a Robinhood joint venture with SIG); since 2026-09-08 also OG.com's North American Derivatives Exchange, Inc.. |
| Underdog | Offered | Contracts trade on Underdog's own exchange UDX (Aristotle Exchange DCM/DCO, Inc. d/b/a Underdog Exchange), plus Kalshi and Nadex (Crypto.com | Derivatives North America). |
| Webull | No restriction found | Contracts trade on Kalshi. |
“No restriction found” means we know of no court order, regulator action or platform notice stopping it in Illinois; it is not a finding that it is legal there.
Why the answers differ
A sportsbook takes the other side of each bet and keeps what bettors lose.3 It needs a license from the state. A prediction market is an exchange that matches users with each other and takes a fee,3 and the large ones are regulated by the CFTC, whose jurisdiction over trading on those exchanges federal law calls exclusive.4 That is the platforms’ case for offering sports contracts nationwide; by the 2025 Super Bowl, Kalshi offered them in all 50 states, including states without legal sports betting.5
States answer that sports event contracts are sports bets by another name; Massachusetts, for one, says Kalshi’s closely resemble wagers at licensed sportsbooks.6 Federal appeals courts have split, 1 for the platforms and 2 for the states, and 3 petitions now ask the Supreme Court to decide: see the circuit split.
Age limits
Kalshi and Polymarket US accept customers from 18,78 while most states set the gambling age at 20 or 21, a gap critics including the NCAA have raised.9 See how old you have to be. If gambling is causing you harm, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.
Questions
- Is sports betting legal in Illinois?
- Yes. Online sports betting is legal in Illinois. Online and retail sports betting regulated by the Illinois Gaming Board.
- Who regulates sports betting in Illinois?
- Illinois Gaming Board.
- Is Kalshi legal in Illinois?
- We found no court order or regulator action stopping Kalshi from serving Illinois, as of Oct. 22, 2026. Illinois's status on prediction markets: in litigation. Details are on our Kalshi in Illinois page.
- Is Polymarket legal in Illinois?
- We found no court order or regulator action stopping Polymarket from serving Illinois, as of Oct. 28, 2026. Illinois's status on prediction markets: in litigation. Details are on our Polymarket in Illinois page.
- What is the difference between a sportsbook and a prediction market?
- A sportsbook takes the other side of each bet and keeps what bettors lose, under a state license. A prediction market is a federally regulated exchange that matches users with each other and charges a fee, which is why platforms argue state gambling law does not reach them.
Sources
- Illinois sports betting status
- DeFi Rate legal tracker
- The New York Times (republished by West Hawaii Today, Oct. 6, 2025)
- 7 U.S.C. 2 (CEA section 2), Office of the Law Revision Counsel
- Axios (Jan. 31, 2025)
- Massachusetts Attorney General's Office (Sept. 12, 2025)
- Kalshi Help Center, Signing Up as an Individual
- Polymarket US terms of service
- Legal Sports Report (Mar. 19, 2026)