Eight months after the Illinois Gaming Board sent cease-and-desist letters to more than 60 online casino and sweepstakes operators, the results are mixed. Some brands have restricted Illinois, while several well-known platforms continue to serve the state.
The board issued the letters on February 5, 2026, in coordination with the attorney general’s office. No lawsuit or other court action by the state over the letters has been publicly reported.
According to the board’s press release, the letters demand that recipients immediately block Illinois residents or stop offering prizes to users in the state. The board’s page says the letters notify recipients that it has reason to believe they offer internet games of chance that award money or other things of value without the required license, in violation of Illinois criminal law.
They warn that operators who fail to comply may face civil or criminal penalties. The board said Illinois law allows gambling only at licensed riverboats, casinos, racetracks, sportsbooks and video gaming locations, and prohibits internet sites that allow gambling.
Administrator Marcus Fruchter said the board would keep evaluating regulatory and law enforcement tools. Attorney General Kwame Raoul said his office would continue working with the board to hold illegal operators accountable. The release said “more than 60” letters went out, and the number is commonly cited as 65. It also urged Illinois residents to avoid unlicensed operators and to report suspected illegal gambling through the board’s website.
The board has used letters before. It sent 11 cease-and-desist letters to sports wagering and fantasy sites in February 2025.
Within two weeks of the letters, Jumbo 88 and JefeBet updated their terms to list Illinois as a restricted territory. Rolling Riches also added Illinois to its ineligible states, though it was not on the board’s list.
Movement has been slow since. Stake.us moved Illinois accounts to redeem-only mode in September. Blazesoft ended Sweeps Coin games in Illinois in June across brands that include Zula Casino and Sportzino, both of which received letters.
Other recipients, including McLuck and Crown Coins, continued to offer play in Illinois as of late September. Operators have not publicly explained their decisions, and the board’s page describing the letters did not include compliance information in the version reviewed.
Illinois has no sweepstakes-specific statute. No new standalone sweepstakes bill was introduced in 2026 before the Feb. 6 bill-filing deadline. A separate bill, House Bill 4797, was introduced days before the letters and would create a regulated online casino market. Its status was not confirmed.
Senate Bill 1705, which would expand the definition of illegal gambling devices, is a carryover from 2025. The General Assembly’s bill status page shows its last action as an April 11, 2025 re-referral to the Assignments Committee.
Maryland offers one comparison. Its gaming regulator testified in January that it had sent 75 cease-and-desist orders and that about a third of recipients complied.
The board has said it will continue to evaluate its options, and its letters cite potential civil and criminal penalties. Whether it pursues either, and whether lawmakers revive SB 1705 or another measure, will shape how Illinois compares with states that have passed explicit bans.
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