Sweepstakes casinos are a great gaming option for players in states like Illinois that haven’t legalized online real-money casinos yet. These sites have thousands of fun games available to play for endless hours of fun and entertainment. You can play for free with Gold Coins (GC) that have no monetary value or collect through bonuses Sweeps Coins (SC) that can be redeemed for cash prizes and gift cards.
In Illinois, you can play at many of the country’s top sweepstakes casino sites. But with so much choice available in the Land of Lincoln, how can you separate the best from the rest? On this page, our experts will tell you how sweepstakes casinos work, how to claim the best bonuses in IL, gambling laws in Illinois, and everything else you need to know about Illinois sweepstakes casinos.
Best Sweepstakes Casinos in Illinois
Stake.us Casino
Best for Crypto Payments
4.7
/5.0
Biggest No Deposit Bonus
Best Promotions for Existing Members
Fish Shooting Games & Plinko
Instant Cashout with Crypto
Payout:
Instant
Win Rate:
96.5%
Big No Deposit Bonus
$25 Stake Cash & 250K Gold Coins
Sweepstakes and social casinos are legal in Illinois because they operate using a sweepstakes model where no purchase is necessary to play. If the casino had offered real-money gambling, it would be illegal under Illinois state law. However, because you can’t purchase wagering money (and can only collect it through bonuses), sweepstakes casinos aren’t banned in Illinois. They are available and safe from anywhere in the state.
Another thing that makes sweepstakes casinos unique is the sweeps currency involved. Instead of depositing money and playing casino games with it for more money, sweepstakes casinos allow you to collect for free or purchase Gold Coins, and you will receive Sweeps Coins. Once you win enough SC, you can redeem them for real money prizes.
By most metrics, the Illinois gambling market is one of the top three in the entire US. With that being said, it’s not the most friendly state for online gamblers. Illinois’s only forms of online gambling currently available are sports betting sites and sweepstakes casinos.
Illinois legalized online sports betting in 2019 when Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Illinois Sports Wagering Act into law. The Illinois Gaming Board officially started giving out licenses to sports betting sites in 2020.
The Illinois Gaming Board does not issue licenses to sweepstakes casinos, as these sites are not technically gambling under state law. Online real-money casinos are not legal in Illinois, but that could change soon. Some lawmakers have discussed opening the online casino market as a way to raise more tax money amid growing debt, but legislators are still debating these bills.
How To Win Cash Prizes Playing at Sweepstakes Casinos
When you create your Illinois sweepstakes casinos account, you will instantly be given free GC and SC so you can start playing. As you start playing, you will see that you have the option to either wager with GC or SC.
GC are just for playing fun and entertainment. They can not be redeemed for cash. SC, on the other hand, can be redeemed for cash and gift cards. However, not all casinos offer the option to redeem SC for gift vouchers.
A welcome bonus will usually entail a large amount of GC and a smaller amount of SC. And in many cases, the coins you get in your welcome bonus often can’t be redeemed. You also will have to earn a minimum amount of coins before redeeming them is even possible. The minimum varies from site to site, but it’s typically around $20.
Once you pass the minimum, just hit the redeem button, select your redemption method, and wait—most sites process redemption requests in less than three banking days.
Top 7 Best Illinois Online Casinos
We test every sweepstakes casino that launches in Illinois, so to get you started, we’ve recommended below some of our top choices. When it comes to finding the best sweepstakes casino in Illinois, our team of experts works hard, so you don’t have to!
Stake.us Casino – Best for Overall Game Selection
Stake.us Casino has spent millions of dollars on celebrity spokespeople like Drake to become the most well-known sweepstakes casino in the world. While spending on advertising doesn’t always equal quality, in Stake’s case, it does.
This casino has over 2,000 top-quality games, including live dealer games, slots, blackjack, baccarat, and poker. The only thing Stake is missing are progressive jackpot games. If that’s a dealbreaker for you, High5 Casino may be a better choice. Still, if you are looking for live dealer and table games, Stake Casino is your best choice.
Few sweepstakes casino slot menus in the US market are as well-stocked as High 5 Casino. Inside its game library, you will find more than 1,700 opportunities to play. The vast majority of those games offer a Return To Player (RTP) of at least 96%, with many games offering higher returns of 97% and more. There are hundreds of exclusive games that you can only play at the High 5 Casino. They include such titles as Striking Tigers, 88 Drums Loot Link Power Play, and Bear Mountain. Both standard slots and jackpot slots are available to play. You’ll discover some popular games like Sugar Rush, Piggy Power, Da Vinci Diamonds, and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
Welcome Offer
250 Gold Coins + 5 Sweeps Coins + 600 Diamonds
Available in Illinois
Yes
Minimum for Prize Redemption
100 Sweeps Coins for a Cash Prize, 50 for a Gift Voucher
Types of Coins
Gold Coins, Sweeps Coins
Payment Methods
Visa, MasterCard, American Express, online banking via Trustly, PayPal, and Skrill.
Progressive Jackpots?
Yes
Table Games?
No
Live Dealers?
Yes
McLuck Casino – Best for Jackpot Slots
One spin on any McLuck Casino slot game can garner you a reward of as many as 200 million Gold Coins through the site’s unique McJackpots function. The real beauty of the McLuck Casino McJackpots is that they can drop at any time. It’s entirely random. One pull on any game could make you a McJackpot winner. The McJackpots drop in four different levels of rewards. A mini McJackpot brings 10,000 Gold Coins. Hit the minor McJackpot for 200,000 Gold Coins. There’s a prize of 2 million gold coins accompanying a McJackpots major win. And the grand McJackpot is worth a massive cache of 200 million Gold Coins.
Welcome Offer
250 Gold Coins + 2.5 Free Sweeps Coins
Available in Illinois
Yes
Minimum for Prize Redemption
10 Sweeps Coins for Gift Cards, 75 for Cash Prizes
Types of Coins
Gold Coins, Sweeps Coins
Payment Methods
Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay, Google Pay
Progressive Jackpots?
Yes
Table Games?
No
Live Dealers?
No
Fortune Coins – Best for Progressive Jackpots
With just over 900 games, Fortune Coins Casino is not one of Illinois’s biggest sweep sites. However, it is our favorite for progressive jackpot slots. You can play dozens of jackpot games with hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes up for grabs.
You shouldn’t just play at Fortune Coins for its progressive games, though. The site has hundreds of slots from top software providers like Pragmatic Play. It also has loads of exclusive games that you will not find anywhere else.
WOW Vegas has quickly become one of the best sweepstakes casinos in the US thanks to its wide selection of 1,000+ games and fun promo offers. For example, you can find prize drops that allow you to win a share of 10,000 Sweeps Coins weekly.
Another reason WOW Vegas has gotten so many new fans is that the site accepts a huge selection of payment methods and has many withdrawal options. You can’t use cryptocurrencies, though. You should consider Stake.us if crypto is your thing.
Welcome Offer
150,000 WOW Coins + 2 Sweeps Coins
Best For
Payment Options
Available in Illinois
Yes
Minimum for Prize Redemption
100 SC
Types of Coins
WOW Coins, Sweeps Coins
Payment Methods
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Trustly Online Banking, Diners Club, Discover Card, JBC, Union Pay and Skrill
Progressive Jackpots?
Yes
Chumba Casino – Best for Mobile Gaming
Like Stake, Chumba Casino is another huge name in the world of sweepstakes casinos that lives up to its reputation. Chumba has the biggest no-deposit bonus in the US, with 2,000,000 Gold Coins and 2 Sweeps Coins available as soon as you sign up.
You can use your coins to play hundreds of slots and table games. These great games are also available on the go, thanks to the highly-rated Chumba Casino app. You can find it available for download on iOS and Android.
Welcome Offer
2,000,000 Gold Coins and 2 Sweeps Coins
Best For
Mobile Gaming
Available in Illinois
Yes
Minimum for Prize Redemption
100 SC
Types of Coins
Gold Coins, Sweeps Coins
Payment Methods
Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Trustly Online Banking, Paysafecard, Skrill
Progressive Jackpots?
Yes
Modo.us – Best for Redemtion Times
Modo Casino prides itself on being “America’s Social Casino.” The site is American-owned and tries to cater to US players. This is good and bad. The payment options are slightly limited because most Americans use debit and credit cards. Generally speaking, though, Modo Casino is a good site.
You can play hundreds of slots and top-rated games at Modo. We also really like its mobile design. The layout replicates the best sweepstakes casino apps and is fast compared to its competitors’ mobile sites. The casino prides itself on quick redemption of prizes, stating it aims to process transactions within 24 hours.
Welcome Offer
20,000 Gold Coins, 1 Sweeps Coin
Best For
Redemption Times
Available in Illinois
Yes
Minimum for Prize Redemption
100 SC
Types of Coins
Gold Coins, Sweeps Coins
Payment Methods
Visa, MasterCard, Discover
Progressive Jackpots?
Yes
What Makes a Sweepstakes Casino the Best in Illinois?
Now that you have seen our top five Illinois sweepstakes casinos, here are some reasons that you should consider playing at these sites.
Fairness and Legitimacy
With no legal online casinos in Illinois, many players turn to shady offshore sites that can have unfair games and rip you off. You do not need to worry about this when you play with Illinois sweepstakes casinos. These are well-known brands, many of which are licensed and based in the United States.
Game Selection
The best Illinois sweepstakes casinos have thousands of games to choose from. You can play slots, table games, and live dealer casino games. If that’s not enough, many casinos also have scratch games, bingo, and other unique types of games.
Win Potential
While they are not technically real money casinos, you can win cash prizes playing at Illinois social casino sites. We’re not talking about small prizes, either. You can win tens of thousands of dollars playing jackpot slots or high-stakes table games.
If you get lucky and win playing at Illinois sweepstakes casinos, you can redeem your virtual currency for gift cards or real money prizes. Unlike offshore sites, this process is super simple at sweepstakes sites, and you will not have to fight your bank over it.
Free Sweeps Coins
Illinois sweepstakes casinos are entirely free to play. You will be awarded free SC and GC just for creating your account. After that, you can rack up even more free coins via daily rewards, loyalty programs, and other existing customer promotions.
The biggest benefit of Illinois sweepstakes casinos is that you can play thousands of games safely and for free. Here are some of the most popular types of games you will see at social casinos in Illinois.
Slots
Online slots are by far the most popular casino games in Illinois. If a casino has 1,000 games, at least 900 of them will probably be slots. With so many games available, you will have tons of classic three and five-reel slots along with modern games with unique bonus buy features, scatter paylines, and other recent innovations.
Illinois sweepstakes casinos are also a great place to play progressive jackpot slots. These games have a prize pool that grows as more people play. If you end up the lucky winner, you could bring home thousands of dollars.
Blackjack
Blackjack is one of the classic casino games. It’s you versus the dealer one-on-one. Whoever gets closer to 21 without going over wins. You can play this great at all the best Illinois sweepstakes casinos. You won’t just find classic blackjack, as many sweepstakes casinos offer live dealer versions of the game as well as many other variations.
The top sweepstakes sites have many popular blackjack variations, including European Blackjack, Atlantic City Blackjack, and Speed Blackjack.
Roulette
One of the most thrilling casino experiences possible is placing your bet and watching the roulette wheel spin to see if you’ve made the right prediction. You can get this same experience playing roulette online at Illinois sweepstakes casinos.
Like with blackjack, social casinos have classic roulette along with fun variations like Turbo Roulette and Multi-ball Roulette.
Live Dealer Games
Nothing beats gambling in person at a brick-and-mortar casino, but that’s not always possible. Live dealer games allow you to get a similar feel right from the comfort of your home.
Unfortunately, not all Illinois sweepstakes casinos have live dealer games. A lot do, though, so if you like live dealer poker, live blackjack, and other live casino games, you will find plenty of options in Illinois.
Fish Shooting Games
Fish shooting games allow you to shoot at fish in a fun underwater setting. They remind us a lot of those old-school deer hunter arcade games. Unlike those games though, you can win real money playing fish table games. You simply pay for each shot and if you get the right fish, you could win big.
More Games
In addition to the main types of games we have covered here, you will also find scratch cards, video poker, and baccarat offered at most top sweepstakes casinos. Some will also have slingo and unique crash games like Aviator.
Types of Promotions at Illinois Online Casinos
Casino promo codes allow you to play your favorite games for free with the chance to win big. All sweepstakes casinos in Illinois will give you free coins as soon as you sign up in the form of a no-deposit welcome bonus. That’s just the start of the promos you can claim.
Many top social casinos offer daily rewards that you can claim just by logging into your account every day. These rewards take the form of free coins, free spins, and even gift cards for some special occasions. Here is our complete list of daily login bonuses.
In addition, refer a friend bonuses, loyalty programs, and tournaments are other great ways you can earn free coins at Illinois sweepstakes casinos.
Should You Play Online Casino Games in Illinois?
If you’ve gotten this far into this guide and are still on the fence about playing at online casinos in Illinois, we really think you should give a sweepstakes casino a try. You can sign up for all of our top Illinois social casinos for free. They are also safe and have hundreds of great games.
If you sign up and look around through the games library, you are sure to find a game that you love.
Illinois Sweepstakes Casino FAQs
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Illinois?
Yes, sweepstakes casinos are legal in Illinois. The state has not legalized traditional, real-money online casinos, but social casinos are completely fine. This is because sweepstakes casinos use virtual currency instead of real money. You can play with GCs and SCs. These can be redeemed for real money prizes.
What are the best sweeps sites available in Illinois?
Our team tests every Illinois sweepstakes casino based on strict criteria. We will look at welcome bonuses, ongoing promotions, game selection, payment methods, customer support, mobile gaming, and more. We list on this page our top choices based on each criterion, so simply check out our recommendations and find the one that’s best for you.
What types of bonuses can I claim at sweeps casinos in Illinois?
All top social casinos in Illinois give you the chance to claim a welcome bonus. Typically, these are no-deposit bonuses, so all you need to do is sign up to claim them. After that, you can claim daily login bonuses just for logging into your account. Refer a friend, first purchase promos, and free spins are other popular bonuses available at sweeps casinos in Illinois.
Can I play at Illinois sweepstakes casinos on my mobile?
Yes! Most top sweepstakes casinos –including WOW Vegas and Chumba Casino– have dedicated casino apps that you can download on the iOS App Store or Google Play Store. Sites that don’t have apps almost always have mobile casinos that you can access on your smartphone’s mobile browser (Google Chrome, Safari, etc.).
Why should I play at Illinois sweepstakes casinos?
Illinois sweepstakes casinos give you the chance to play top-quality casino games for free. You can also earn real money prizes. Since there are no legal Illinois online casinos, social casinos are a safer alternative to offshore sites and other unlicensed options. And if you collect enough Sweeps Coins, you can redeem for a cash prize or gift card.