bet365 is making its way to the Illinois sports betting market.
That comes following license approval from the Illinois Gaming Board in December, allowing bet365 to operate an in-person and online sportsbook through local partner Walker's Bluff Casino Resort.
To learn more about what to expect from this new brand, check out our review of the bet365 Illinois bonus code.
Launch Date Still Uncertain
bet365 is still unavailable in the Prairie State, and the launch timeline is still up in the air despite being licensed in December.
It'd be opportune for the brand to go live ahead of the NCAA Basketball Tournament which tips off on March 18 and runs through the first week of April. This would give Illinois bettors a great new sportsbook to bet with while enjoying an exciting selection of new IL sportsbook promos from bet365 as well. It's important to note that Illinois-based bettors are banned from wagering on in-state college teams, so you'll have to bet on another team if you're looking to bet on the Fighting Illini or Northwestern Wildcats.
Now, that's an optimistic outlook, and we haven't heard any word of a launch timeline from bet365 yet. So you'll have to check back as the experts at IllinoisBet.com continue to track the latest developments.
bet365 Joins an Expansive Market
When it goes live, bet365 will become the 10th online and mobile sportsbook in the state of Illinois. That includes the likes of giants DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook; newcomers ESPN BET and Fanatics Sportsbook; lesser-known names Hard Rock Bet and Circa Sports; and of course, the home-grown BetRivers.
While it may seem like a crowded market at first, it's worth noting that there's a lot to go around in Illinois. In fact, the state surpassed New Jersey in 2024 to become the second-largest sports betting market in the US, according to the American Gaming Association. Illinois brought in just over $1.2 billion in sports betting revenue in 2024, second only to New York at $2.1 billion. In terms of overall handle, bettors in the Land of Lincoln wagered more than $14 billion last year, good for second among all sports betting states as well.
So it'll have to be seen how bet365 takes on Illinois, but there's a lot of wagering to be made despite the state being crowded with Illinois betting apps.
