Illinois Orders Dozens of Online Casinos to Exit the State

Illinois regulators have escalated enforcement against unlicensed online gambling, issuing a broad wave of cease and desist orders aimed at casino style and sweepstakes platforms operating outside state law. The action signals a tougher stance as regulators draw clearer lines around what is allowed inside the state.

Good to Know

• Illinois sent cease and desist letters to 65 online platforms
• Operators were told to block Illinois players or stop offering prizes
• Noncompliance may trigger civil or criminal penalties

The Illinois Gaming Board, working alongside the Illinois Attorney General Office, confirmed that more than 60 entities received formal notices accusing them of offering online games of chance without proper authorization. Regulators said each recipient was notified that their activities violate Illinois criminal law.

Illinois law tightly restricts gambling to approved channels. Legal wagering is limited to licensed riverboat and land based casinos, racetracks, sportsbooks, and operators holding video gaming licenses. Online casino style games and sweepstakes models that award cash or items of value fall outside those permissions without specific licensure.

In a public statement, the gaming board said:

“The letters notify recipients that the IGB has reason to believe they are offering games of chance over the internet that award money or other things of value without the required licensure, in violation of Illinois criminal law.”

Platforms Named and Enforcement Pressure Builds

Recipients were instructed to immediately block Illinois residents from accessing their platforms or to stop awarding prizes to users in the state. Regulators warned that continued operation could expose companies to civil action or criminal charges.

The list includes a mix of social casino and sweepstakes style brands, some of which have already exited multiple states as regulatory pressure grows nationwide. Among those named were Stake.us, Global Poker, and Chumba Casino, the latter two operated by VGW. VGW has pulled its products from more than 10 states over the past year amid growing scrutiny of sweepstakes gaming models.

Additional platforms listed in the enforcement action include ACE, American Luck, Chip n Win, Crown Coins Casino, Fliff, Fortune Coins, Fortune Wheelz, FreeSpin, Gold Rush City, Gold Treasure Casino, Golden Hearts Games, GoldSlips, Hello Millions, High 5 Casino, Legendz, LuckyLand Slots, McLuck Casino, Splash Coins, Sportzino, WOW Vegas, and several others.

Illinois joins a growing number of states taking direct action against sweepstakes and social casino operators. Earlier this week it was reported that the Washington AG has started lawsuits against numerous large unlicensed gambling operators targeting the state.

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