People involved in illegal gambling activities will be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, while those conducting unlawful gambling will essentially commit a felony. That leaves little wiggle room for a different interpretation. The Prairie State defines gambling as playing games of skill or chance for money or anything other of value. In the beginning, riverboats were required to leave the docks and set sail, but that practice no longer applies to Illinois casinos. Then IL introduced the Riverboat Gaming Act, becoming the second US state to legalize riverboats after Iowa.
Until 1990, only horse racing and lotteries were legal. Short answer - yes, slot machines are legal in Illinois.
However, online slots for real money in Illinois are still out of reach for the IL casino fans since online gambling isn’t regulated yet. Furthermore, riverboats host fantastic gambling options, including high-quality slot machines. Besides horse racing and riverboat casinos, Illinois residents enjoy various gambling activities, including sports betting, charitable gambling, social casinos, VLTs, lottery, and bingo.
