Where Can I Bet Sports Near Chicago?

You will soon be able to bet sports in Chicago at ball parks and arenas.  It is not yet know if Soldier Field will be up for offering sports betting kiosks.  Currently you can bet sports in Chicago on your mobile device or laptop via a number of licensed offshore sportsbooks, some of which have been in business for 20 or more years.

2019-2020 Betting Outlook

The Bears should be Playoff contenders as they enter the season with the 5th shortest odds to win the Super Bowl.

Following a sluggish start, the Cubs now register with the 5th shortest odds to win the 2019 World Series.

Ahead of the All Star break the team was beginning to struggle once again.

Saturday July 6 marked only the Cubs’ second -victory in a week and their third in 10 games, then they went onto lose to the White Sox Sunday.

“We all feel fortunate,” owner Theo Epstein said of the way the five-team division has clumped en masse right around .500. “If the division had shaken out a little bit differently, we’d be in a much different mindset and probably looking more longer term."

The Northwestern Wildcats were coming in at long 500/1 odds to win the Championship in College Basketball.  One can only bet Northwestern games via offshore sportsbook sites as books based in Illinois will be prohibited from taking bets on in-state schools.

Illinios lawmakers accomplished what many believe will be the most expansive sports betting scheme of any state yet.  In 2019, the state legislature voted to allow sports betting online and at area arenas and ballparks, and quite possibly at Soldier Field (the NFL might push back on this however).  A casino will be constructed at a yet-to-be-determined location in or near the Downtown area, and is expected to feature a sportsbook.  Despite these grand plans, sports betting via state-based venues is not expected until the NFL Playoffs the earliest.   Betting is currently available via offshore sportsbooks that look to become more competitive by offering wagering on College teams (something state-based sportsbooks and kiosks cannot do).

- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com