DraftKings is one of the very best sports betting platforms in the country, and it’s available for bettors in Illinois right now. Legal sports betting arrived in Illinois in 2020 and, after a rocky start due to the COVID-19 lockdown, has eventually flourished in the state.
New DraftKings Illinois members can claim a $200 welcome bonus for just $5 when they sign up right now, with no promo code required to unlock their bonus. There are a whole host of other promos and bonuses on DraftKings IL too, for lots of different sports, and we’re going to get into all of them on this page. We’ve also got details on how to sign up, make deposits and withdrawals, check in on the sports scene in the state, and plenty more.
🎁 DraftKings Illinois Promo Code | None required - Use our exclusive link |
💰 DraftKings Illinois Sign Up Offer | Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets |
💳 Banking Options at DraftKings Illinois | - Bank Wire Transfer - Cash at Cage - Cash at Retail Stores - Credit Card - Debit Cards - DraftKings Gift Card - Electronic Gift Card - Online Banking - PayPal - Play+ Prepaid Card - Venmo - VIP Preferred (e-check) |
💲 Minimum Deposit | $5 |
⭐ DraftKings Illinois WSN Rating | 4.8/5 |
📱 DraftKings Illinois iOS App Rating | 4.8 with 580K reviews |
📱 DraftKings Illinois Android App Rating | 4.7 with 105K reviews |
✅ Last Verified | December 2024 |
DraftKings across the US has a reputation for coming up with great sportsbook welcome bonuses for new bettors, and DraftKings IL is no exception. The standard welcome package is worth $200 in bonus bets and just requires an initial deposit and wager of $5. There is no promo code required and no other difficult qualifying criteria - you simply need to be a brand-new customer with DraftKings IL.
We’ll go into more detail on how to unlock the offer in the next section, but there are some important terms and conditions you need to be aware of. First up, the $25 comes in the form of eight separate Bonus Bets worth $25 each. You have seven days to use each bet once it hits your account, and if you miss the deadline the bets simply disappear. The bets also have wagering requirements of 1x and you get paid out on your winnings only - a standard procedure with this type of promo.
This is a really valuable offer. It’s simple and direct, and gives you $200 worth of bonus at a cost of just $5. We like the $25 increments, which is definitely preferable to receiving a single $200 bet and feels like a nice middle ground for more casual bettors and higher rollers. If we were getting very picky, we would prefer a little longer than seven days to use up all eight bets - since some more casual players might not be comfortable with so many bets in such a short amount of time - but overall, it’s a great offer.
As we said, claiming this bonus is very straightforward. DraftKings IL aren’t out to trick anyone or make you jump through hoops. That said, there are a few simple steps you need to follow to make sure you don’t miss out. Here’s how it works:
Click our link to jump into the registration process at DraftKings Illinois. You can create an account from anywhere, but you need to actually be located in Illinois when you place a bet online.
Type in the personal info required, including your name, email address, date of birth, home address, and SSN. DraftKings IL is mandated by the Illinois Gaming Board to gather and verify the identifying information of everyone who bets on the site.
Once your account is up and running, head to the Deposit page to top up your account. You can use a wide variety of different payment methods at DraftKings Illinois, which we’re going to cover in more detail below. You need to deposit at least $5 to trigger your bonus.
Finally, place your qualifying wager of $5 or more. It doesn’t even need to win: that will be enough to lock in your bonus and your $200 in Bonus Bets will be available instantly.
To use a Bonus Bet, just add your selection to the Betslip as normal and choose the “Apply Bonus” option from the menu before you place it.
To put it mildly, there is a lot going on in the DraftKings Illinois Promo page every time you open it up. DraftKings is constantly innovating and coming up with new bonuses and special offers, including for whatever sports or events are attracting the most interest in a given week. In this section, we’re calling out some of the offers up for grabs during our DraftKings IL review, to give you a sense of what you can expect.
DraftKings Illinois offers all new players a 20% boost on your first deposit, with a maximum of $1,000 in DK Dollars up for grabs - which means you would have to deposit a hefty $5,000 to get the full whack. DK Dollars get released into your account at a rate of DK$1 per every $25 gambled on any DraftKings product, and come with 1x wagering requirements attached.
Best of all, you can claim this first deposit bonus in combination with the $200 Bonus Bets offer.
No Sweat Bets at DraftKings Illinois are a promo where the sportsbook will give you a Bonus Bet of the same value of your stake if your bet loses. During our review, you could pick up three separate No Sweat Bets on different days for that weekend’s round of NFL games, up to a value of $50 each. It’s a perfect bonus for NFL fans.
You can claim this type of promo by choosing to use the No Sweat Token option which will appear in the betslip when you add a qualifying bet.
With Parlay Boosts, DraftKings will give you enhanced odds on selected parlay markets the more legs you add to your bet. You can get up to a 50% boost on your odds for Same Game Parlays placed on either the NFL or soccer. These are two of the biggest markets at DraftKings, so this is a great offer.
Sometimes, DraftKings pays out on bets early if certain criteria are fulfilled. For instance, if you place a moneyline bet on any NFL game, your bet gets paid out if your chosen team goes 10 points or more up at any point in the game. There is no special opt-in required either: if you place a moneyline bet and your team goes 10 points up, you’ll win your bet. Simple.
DraftKings Illinois has a referral bonus if you get any of your friends to sign up. It’s a pretty simple system: every member at DraftKings has a unique sign-up link associated with their account. Whenever someone uses your link to sign up, and deposits $25 or more, both you and your friend will earn a Bonus Bet of the same value of their deposit. The most you can both get out of this is a $100 Bonus Bet.
Where to start? As is the case in many of the states that DraftKings operates in, it has a fairly convincing claim to being one of the top sportsbooks in Illinois - among some stiff competition. In this section, we’re explaining exactly what we like about the platform with an overview of different features. Check out our full DraftKings Sportsbook review for more details and in-depth analysis.
DraftKings Illinois is a sleek, intelligently designed, modern sportsbook. There is a lot going on in terms of betting options and information, but it never really feels overwhelming or confusing. On a very basic level, it’s exceptionally easy to browse the site, locate different sports and markets, and place bets. The same goes for both claiming bonuses and making deposits and withdrawals: the team at DraftKings has done a great job of streamlining these features into simple step-by-step processes.
The same is true for the mobile experience at DraftKings Illinois. Along with its old DFS rival FanDuel, the DraftKings Sportsbook mobile app is just about one of the best sports betting apps available in the US. The DraftKings Illinois app is available on both the App Store (with a rating of 4.8) and the Google Play Store (with a rating of 4.7). If betting on the go is your thing, it’s a great choice.
Ultimately, a great sportsbook is all about having lots of interesting betting markets and sports and player-friendly betting lines. DraftKings ticks these boxes in a big way. There are tons of ways to bet on all the top sports, including moneylines, spreads, and totals right down to the hyper-specific player and team prop bets. Plus, futures, parlays, live betting, and a lot more.
It’s a similar story for the sports options: the variety of sports and competitions available is great, and DraftKings Illinois updates its betting options all the time depending on what is attracting the most public interest.
The array of different banking methods at DraftKings Illinois is very impressive, and overall it’s very straightforward to both top up your account and withdraw your winnings. The best sportsbooks go out of their way to make life easy for its customers, and in this case that means providing a wide range of payment methods to cover just about every eventuality in terms of preference.
Bank cards including Visa and Matercard, along with bank transfers, are very popular at online sportsbooks, and DraftKings IL is no different. E-wallets and other digital payment systems like Venmo are only growing in popularity, and they are well-represented too.
There is no charge for either deposits or withdrawals. DraftKings also has one of the lowest minimum deposit structures out there, and you can top up your account for as little as just $5. Most US sportsbooks have at least a $10 minimum, so this is great for the lower-stakes players. You can also set customizable spending limits to help manage your bankroll. All this and more rank it among the fastest payout sportsbooks on the market.
Check out all the deposit methods here:
Bank Wire Transfer
Cash at Cage
Cash at Retail Stores
Credit Card
Debit Cards
DraftKings Gift Card
Electronic Gift Card
Online Banking
PayPal
Play+ Prepaid Card
Venmo
VIP Preferred (e-check)
And this way for the withdrawal options:
Apple Pay
Bank Wire
Cage
Checks
Debit Card
Online Banking
PayPal
Play+ Prepaid Card
Trustly Verified Withdrawals
Venmo
VIP Preferred (e-check)
Sports betting bonuses are great, but we’d be lying if we said they were always totally straightforward, either at DraftKings IL or other platforms. It’s probably worth stating here that sportsbooks are ultimately out to make a profit, and while they do offer genuinely valuable promotions, they aren’t handing out anything for free either. In this section, we’ve got some general tips to make the most of your bonuses.
Understand wagering requirements. Wagering requirements - also known as turnover or playthrough - are the primary piece of small print to be aware of when you’re claiming any kind of betting bonus. The concept refers to the number of times you need to gamble with some money you received via a bonus, before you can withdraw your winnings. Many sports betting bonuses, like bonus bets, come with 1x wagering requirements attached - meaning you need to use the bonus to bet just once, and then it’s withdrawable.
Choose bonuses that make sense for you. For instance, DraftKings Illinois’ $1,000 first deposit bonus is great, but you would need to spend $5,000 upfront to get the maximum value. This is way too much for lots of bettors, and if it’s outside of your planned bankroll we’d recommend just forgetting about it. Play smart and pick promos that will enhance your personal experience.
Don’t get caught out by the small print. In addition to wagering requirements, bonuses have time limits and other restrictions factored into the small print, which you need to pay attention to. Never claim any bonus without checking out - and making sure you understand - the terms and conditions in advance.
The terms and conditions page should be your first port of call with any bonus. You’ll normally see a button available to see the full T&Cs associated with an offer, or you can head to the Promos section of the DraftKings IL sportsbook to check out the different promotions.
We’re covering the main things to look out for in this section:
We’ve already talked about wagering requirements, and they are a massive factor in sports betting bonuses and provide an accurate view of the real value behind different types of offers.
Pretty much all promos have some kind of timeframe attached, and bonuses and Bonus Bets can expire before you get a chance to use them or complete the wagering requirements. You need to be aware of any potential deadlines.
Many bonuses and promos require you to opt-in in some way. This can mean checking a box in the cashier or the betslip, using a promo code or even contacting customer support. Just follow the instructions carefully and you’ll be fine.
Sportsbooks often put caps on how much you can win from a bonus, especially with things like Odds Boosted bets.
A qualifying deposit means you need to spend a certain amount of money to trigger a bonus, and a qualifying bet means you need to place a specific wager to trigger a bonus. With the standard DraftKings Illinois sign up bonus, you need to deposit and place a bet of $5 or more to get your $200 in Bonus Bets.
DraftKings is just one of the great sports betting options in Illinois. Below, you can see two of the others.
Top Alternatives | DraftKings | BetMGM | Caesars Sportsbook |
---|---|---|---|
Welcome Offer | Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets | Bet $5, Get $158 in Bonus Bets | Up to $1,000 in Bonus Bet |
Promo Code | None required | WSNMGM | WSN1000 |
Our Rating | 4.8/5 | 4.4/5 | 4.3/5 |
iOS App Rating | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.6 |
Android App Rating | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.2 |
Banking Options | - Bank Wire Transfer - Cash at Cage - Cash at Retail Stores - Credit Card - Debit Cards - DraftKings Gift Card - Electronic Gift Card - Online Banking - PayPal - Play+ Prepaid Card - Venmo - VIP Preferred | - Credit Card - Debit Cards - Bank Transfer - Venmo - Cash App - Skrill - Cash at Cage - Prepaid Cards | - Online banking (ACH) - PayPal - Skrill - Visa or Mastercard - Wire transfer |
Min. Deposit | $5 | $10 | $20 |
Online Since | August 2020 | March 2022 | March 2022 |
DraftKings Illinois sportsbook is a definite market leader in the US sports betting scene, in terms of the variety of both sports and betting markets available. When it comes to the most popular sports, if you can think of a bet, chances are you’ll find it at DraftKings. There is a healthy list of less well-known sports out there too.
It’s worth remembering that DraftKings’ betting options can change up a little all the time, especially when the start of a new competition or season for a particular sport rolls around. Below, you can see the options available during our DraftKings Illinois review:
Aussie Rules
Baseball
Basketball
Boxing
Cricket
Cycling
Darts
Football
Golf
Hockey
Jai Alai
MMA
Motorsports
Rugby League
Rugby Union
Soccer
Table Tennis
Tennis
Winner
Point Spread
Alternative Spreads
Over/Under
Futures (Super Bowl Winners, Wimbledon Champion, etc)
Player Futures (MVP Bets, Top Scorers, Heisman Trophy, etc)
Parlays
Live Betting
Game Props (Halftime Score, Total Number of Corners, etc)
Team Props (Rushing Yards, Number of Passes, Possession, etc)
Player Props (Layups, Shots on Target, Yellow Cards, etc)
Illinois is home to some of the most iconic franchises in the US, and Chicago is one of the country's true sporting hotbeds. Here you can see some of the teams that are going to be attracting a lot of action at DraftKings Illinois:
The Chicago Cubs make their home at the iconic Wrigley Field in the north of Chicago. They were the first team to win back-to-back World Series titles in 1907 and 1908 and then had to wait more than one hundred years for their next in 2016.
The Chicago White Sox actually have quite a similar history. They also picked up two World Series titles in the early 1900s, before finally winning a third almost 90 years later in 2005.
The Chicago Bulls had never won an NBA championship in 1984 when they drafted a shooting guard named Michael Jordan with their third pick. By 1998, Jordan and the Bulls had six rings, and one of the most iconic teams in sports history were assured of their place in the history books.
The Chicago Bears have the second most victories of any team in the NFL, just behind the Green Bay Packers, and have a single Super Bowl victory in 1985.
The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the Original Six NHL teams and have won the Stanley Cup six times in their history, most recently in 2015.
The Chicago Fire were one of the MLS’ first expansion teams and won the league and cup double in their very first season back in 1998.
A number of NCAA competitors can be found in Illinois, including the Northwestern Wildcats, the Illinois Fighting Illini, and the Illinois State Redbirds.
It’s not exactly shaping up to be a vintage next 12 months for Chicago teams according to the DraftKings lines. Check some of them out below:
Futures Bet | DraftKings Illinois Odds |
---|---|
Chicago Bears to win the Super Bowl | +40000 |
Chicago Bulls to win the NBA Championship | +17000 |
The Chicago Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup | +20000 |
The Chicago Fire to win the MLS Cup | +5000 |
The arrival of legal sports betting - and by extension DraftKings - in Illinois was massively complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. Retail sports betting arrived first in March 2020, but the first retail books were soon closed. Illinois lawmakers hastily tweaked the legislation to remove the need for in-person registration to bet online, ahead of the May 2020 launch of online books.
DraftKings launched in the state later that year, as part of a partnership with Casino Queen in East St Louis. It quickly established itself as one of the top online sportsbooks in the state. DraftKings is also on the cusp of launching their retail luxury sportsbook at Wrigley Field, pending approval from the Illinois Gaming Board.
Compared with some states, the sports betting industry in Illinois is still on the smaller side. There are around six online sportsbooks up and running in the state, and DraftKings has a convincing argument to be the pick of the bunch.
The $200 welcome bonus package, along with the sheer variety of on-running promotions that get updated all the time, makes DraftKings Illinois a great choice from a bonus perspective. The mobile app is second to none, and both depositing and withdrawing are very straightforward too.
Finally, the ability to bet in-person using your DraftKings Illinois account at Wrigley Field will be a real game changer for Cubs fans, and really cement DraftKings' place in the state.
Click our registration link to create your DraftKings Illinois account now.
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