About IGB

The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) is the state regulatory and law enforcement agency that regulates casino gambling, video gaming, and sports wagering in Illinois.

The agency has five Board Members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The IGB Administrator serves as the agency's chief executive, directing daily operations and leading the IGB’s professional staff. The IGB maintains more than 25 offices across Illinois, including our two headquarters offices in Chicago and Springfield and field offices at all Illinois casinos.

IGB civilian and sworn personnel perform regulatory, oversight, licensing, enforcement, investigative, rulemaking, adjudicatory, and tax collection functions. The staff conducts audits and investigations of applicants and licensees as well as analyzes legal, financial, regulatory, compliance, technical, and criminal issues to ensure the integrity and safety of gaming in Illinois as mandated by statute. The IGB licenses and approves gaming operations, entities, and personnel based on background and financial investigations conducted by IGB staff. The IGB also administers the voluntary Self-Exclusion Program for problem gamblers.

Illinois became the second state in the nation to legalize riverboat gambling in February 1990 with enactment of the Riverboat Gambling Act. The first Illinois riverboat casino opened in Alton in September 1991 and the state issued 10 casino licenses between 1990 and 2010. In June 2019, Illinois enacted landmark gaming expansion legislation that authorized 6 new casino licenses and allowed casino gambling at Illinois horseracing tracks. The newest land-based casino opened in Rockford in August 2024. Today, 16 licensed casinos operate across Illinois in: Alton, Aurora, Carterville, Chicago, Danville, Des Plaines, East Hazel Crest, East Peoria, East St. Louis, Elgin, Joliet (2), Metropolis, Rockford, Rock Island, and Waukegan.    

Illinois passed the Video Gaming Act in July 2009 to authorize the placement and operation of Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs), also known as slot machines, in licensed retail establishments, truck stops, and veterans and fraternal organizations. The first legal VGTs went live for patron play on September 10, 2012. Over a decade later, Illinois is home to the largest regulated video gaming network of its kind in the world, with approximately 46,400 VGTs in operation at more than 8,700 licensed locations across the state. Each VGT is connected to, and monitored by, the Central Communications System that enables regulatory compliance and tax collection functions.

The 2019 gaming expansion law was Illinois’ largest expansion of gaming since the 1990 Riverboat Gambling Act and one of the largest single expansions of gaming in the nation. In addition to authorizing expanding video gaming and authoring new casino licenses, the 2019 law also legalized sports wagering online and at retail locations in Illinois casinos, horseracing tracks, and sports facilities. The Illinois sports wagering industry launched in March 2020 and has since evolved into one of the largest sports wagering markets in the United States, with 15 approved sportsbooks.