PointsBet Illinois Highlights:
Having first launched in September 2020, PointsBet Illinois is already a market-leading sports betting brand in the Land of Lincoln. The Australian-owned company has a strong retail partnership with Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, making its services fully legal in Illinois state. And a well-rounded competitor against other Illinois online sportsbooks.
Perhaps best-known among Illinois bettors for its popular points betting markets, the brand offers arguably more wagering options than any other competitor. Couple that with a slick, easy-to-use PointsBet app and a generous sign-up offer of four second chance bets and it's easy to see why the brand is making waves stateside.
PointsBet is a relatively new online operation founded in 2017, which gained an impressive stature in the states. In July 2020, PointsBet was granted a temporary gaming license in Illinois. This enabled the brand to accept online sports bets through its retail partner, the Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney. Since then, PointsBet has built a good reputation in the state that will see it well-positioned to launch a PointsBet Mobile app.
Fans of online sports betting will probably be most interested in the brand's signature points betting market. Working a little bit like a conventional spread, Illinois bettors will be able to increase their total payout for every unit they win by. Conversely, they will have further exposure for every unit that they lose by as well.
Aside from this exciting feature, PointsBet offers the same markets found at other best online sportsbooks. These include fixed odds bet options and live betting, so all customers will be well catered for. We'll look at these options in greater detail during this review, as well as the other incentives the brand has to offer.
Overview of Pointsbet Illinois Ratings:
PointsBet Illinois sportsbook offers players $250 in second chance bets from the moment they sign-up. On top of that, PointsBet provides a regularly updated calendar of promotions that includes local specials like odds boosts on the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. Having also recently signed Chicago legend Devin Hester, the Bears look particularly likely to feature in odds boosts and other sportsbook promos.
As you can see from the table above, PointsBet is especially strong when it comes to futures betting, compared with Caesars Illinois. On the NBA Atlantic Division futures market, for example, PointsBet boasts the best odds on three of the five teams available. In particular, the brand specializes in offering best-in-market prices on the less-fancied teams.
Where PointsBet holds a significant edge over other online sportsbooks is in the variety of markets and bet types that the brand is able to offer. Naturally, the highlight from these options is the company's signature points betting market, but there are also a great range of live betting and pre-game markets available too.
Popular PointsBet Sportsbook Betting Markets
The PointsBet site is well-structured and easy to use. Featured events, events that are currently live and events that are coming up next all appear at the top of the home page, though other matchups can easily be found using a handy search feature. Additional tabs for the promotions area and account page are both prominently displayed, while bettors will find a full site map further down in the homepage footer.
While the site is simple to navigate, we would say that the mostly black color scheme is a little straining on the eyes and lacks the flair of DraftKings Illinois, for example. Furthermore, PointsBet cannot compete with either of these brands in terms of live betting due to the paucity of markets here. That said, the odds are generally among the best in the business and pointsbetting is a unique feature bettors won't find elsewhere.
When placing a pointsbetting wager, customers put up a certain amount of exposure to cover the margins of their bet. The more units they're right by, the more they'll win - but the more they're wrong by, the more they'll have to front up to cover it.
Each day at PointsBet, customers will receive two tokens that can be used to boost their potential winnings. One can be used on any traditional parlay bet, while the other must be used on a same game parlay bet.
As a sports bettor, you can never fully prepare for the unexpected. Thankfully at PointsBet, the Karma Committee are on hand to refund bettors affected by unforeseen circumstances in bonus bet tokens.
Same game parlays let you build a parlay using outcomes from the same match. These wagers are very popular in online betting, but they’re normally only available in pre-match form. PointsBet’s live same game parlays differ, though, because they’re available in the middle of games. You can place live same game parlay bets on PointsBet Illinois’ NBA and NFL contests.
Depositing or withdrawing at PointsBet Sportsbook is an incredibly quick and easy process. Not only will bettors be able to fund their account from as little as $10, but they can also cashout quickly via a decent range of withdrawal options. Both processes are without a fee, but bettors should be aware that withdrawals to Visa or Mastercard are not accepted. Instead, they'll need to use a direct bank transfer or eWallet option.
The PointsBet mobile app is a pretty faithful replica of the desktop site, but with the added functionality one would expect from a portable betting app. Boasting an adaptive display, touchscreen navigation and easy two-tap betting, the PointsBet app is fully optimized for both Android and iOS devices. While not the prettiest nor one of the best betting apps we've ever encountered, the PointsBet app nevertheless offers all the markets and features players will need to enjoy betting on the go.
PointsBet Rewards allow bettors in Illinois to earn points whenever they place a real money wager in the state. Bettors will automatically be enrolled in the scheme once they sign up, so no registration process is required. Once they start wagering, bettors will earn $1 for every $5 placed on fixed odds bets and $1 for every $1 placed on parlays. These loyalty dollars can then be redeemed for the equivalent value in bonus bets.
As you can see from the table above, the areas in which PointsBet particularly excels are mainly bet-focused. The site offers a far greater variety of options than its competitors, while its odds were also often the best we were able to find. Though it lacks the features of BetMGM or the performance and efficiency of FanDuel, PointsBet is a site for serious bettors who simply want to lock in the largest profits possible.
PointsBet offers a small range of payment methods that nevertheless covers all the most popular options. Deposits start from just $10 and are have no charges, while withdrawals can be made from as little as $10 and take 1-5 days to process. Bettors should note, however, that they won't be able to cashout directly to a card and will have to instead use direct bank transfer or an eWallet option.
As an official partner of the Bears, PointsBet offers the best available odds on the Chicago-based franchise. The Bears also feature regularly in special offers that are included on the site's PointsBet Pulse betting blog.
Three-times World Series winners the Chicago White Sox were on a bit of a cold streak before securing the AL Central Division last year. Seemingly on the up, the franchise could be one to look out for in futures bets.
Undoubtedly the most iconic franchise in Chicago, the Bulls are still struggling to match the halcyon days of the MJ era. Nevertheless, they remain the best-supported team in the state and a fixture of PointsBet Pulse.
As a condition of being a licensed online sportsbook in Illinois, PointsBet is required to provide a number of security measures. These include 128-bit SSL encryption to protect sensitive data and using a major clearing partner to safeguard deposits. Although problems on the site are rare, should bettors encounter an issue, they can contact support by email or by using a 24/7 live chat service.
PointsBet Online Sportsbook Support
PointsBet Sportsbook provides a number of responsible gaming incentives via its responsible gaming hub and player protection page. Services include guidelines, advice and contact details for several of the major US-based responsible gambling organizations. From either of these sections, players can also elect to impose a number of restrictions on their account, including the following:
PointsBet offers pretty much the same service in Illinois that it does in other states. The only real difference is the highly annoying in-person registration law that currently prevents bettors from signing up online. If things go to plan, however, this should change next month before March Madness.
Additionally, the brand is always offering all features when launching in new territories. Take PointsBet Maryland sportsbook as an example. Players in that state can enjoy an equally feature-rich platform.
The same will likely apply to the PointsBet Ohio sportsbook, which will launch its operations on January 1, 2023.
PointsBet has a long-standing retail partnership with Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney. There, Illinois-based players will find a PointsBet retail sportsbook where they can bet or complete in-person registration.
To keep PointsBet Sportsbook legal, the site is required to use geolocation technology to ensure players are located within state lines while betting. Additionally, Illinois online gambling customers are required to register in-person at a retail sportsbook when signing up for an online account, though this will change shortly.
With a generous sign-up bonus, strong betting options and best-in-class odds on all major events, PointsBet is the perfect site for serious sports fans. While it may lack some of the features and bonuses found at other Illinois sportsbooks, it more than makes up for this fact by consistently helping bettors maximize their profits with a range of innovative bet types and regularly enhanced odds.
Having partnered with the Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, Illinois, PointsBet is now able to legally offer its online betting services in IL state. As of now, in-person registration is no longer required, meaning you can now register online remotely and start betting online.
Well, it depends on what you're looking for. In terms of the quality of odds and amount of bet types, the site is probably the best option. If you're after bonus bets and bonuses, however, there are probably better choices.
At the time of writing, we are yet to confirm our promo code for the PointsBet sign up offer. As soon as that changes, we'll update this page so that you have all of the relevant details that you need to claim it.
The Illinois gaming board worked hard to clear the way for online sportsbooks to launch in the state of Illinois in time for March Madness. This happened successfully for Pointsbet Illinois sportsbook, with registration finally available online again. So sign up now using our promo code on this page.