OTB Illinois

Updated February 9, 2023

Off Track Betting Illinois

OTB Illinois is ready to reclaim its place as one of Americaā€™s horse racing hotspots. With the legalization of off-track betting in recent years, off-track betting (OTB) parlours and horse racing engagement is at an all-time high. Illinois has three horse racing tracks, over two dozen OTB locations, and online racebooks coming up. The Prairie State is back in business.

Letā€™s review the must-know topics of Illinois OTB such as: 

Best OTB Illinois betting sites

OTB Illinois at Bet365

Odds

Home to one of the biggest betting market selections in the industry, Bet365 is a household name for mainly this reason

Bonuses

Get rewarded up to $200 in bet credits with Bet365 when you follow the terms and conditions, including making a deposit of equal or greater value

Even if you arenā€™t the betting type, youā€™ve probably seen or heard of this green book; Bet365 is world-renowned and offers topnotch service in every major aspect: betting markets, betting odds, customer service, and user interface. It should be part of your sportsbook roster.

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OTB Illinois at BetOnline

Odds

BetOnline offers extensive betting odds from most horse races around the globe; they are usually caught up with whatā€™s going on and the prices are competitive and flexible

Bonuses

The racebook has one of the best selections of promos including a horse racing rebate and a no-risk bonus, up to $25 refund on a lost bet. Thereā€™s also the deposit bonus and referral bonus.

BetOnline prides itself as being the racebook for recreational players. They offer plenty of bonuses from their signup bonus to their no-risk bonus. Their horse racing rebates applies also for everyone. Their nifty interface and easy deposit and withdrawal methods seal the deal. This is a book you should check out.

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OTB Illinois at Bovada

Odds

Bovada is rarely the first post racebook odds so diehards may have to wait a little bit. But Bovada, at least, matches the odds of the best racebooks and they offer plenty of them

Bonuses

This OTB Illinois book has always been generous with its deposit bonuses, especially if youā€™re using cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. On top of that, there are racebook rebates for most race types

Bovada is a solid racebook to add to your repertoire; it has a decent selection of horse racing odds, plenty of exotic bets, and one of the easier to navigate interfaces. The bargainable deposit bonus should only encourage you to consider this book more.

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Is OTB Illinois legal?

As of spring 2019, Illinois has become one of the United Statesā€™s hotbed for off-track betting and sports betting. The state legislature passed a bill allowing sportsbooks, both physical OTB parlors in Illinois and online, to get to business.

In June 2019, the Illinois Horse Racing Act established the creation of OTB Illinois sites. Each horse track gets to install their own intertrack wagering locations. The Fairmount Park may establish up to 9, Hawhtorne Race Course may install up to 16 OTBā€™s, and Arlington Park gets up to 18 OTBā€™s.

These parlours are either located within the track or are at their own destination. Horse racing fanatics will have no shortage of places for off-track betting. You can expect both locals and tourists to head to Illinois to get their horse racing fix.

Alternatively, bettors can also head to online sportsbooks for more convenience. Both the state of Illinois and international sportsbooks will offer off-track betting. Most of the latter will welcome American and Canadian players openly and even include deposit bonuses.

Now is the prime time to get into off-track betting in Illinois. With three racetracks, over two dozen OTBā€™s, and the availability of sportsbooks physically and digitally, consider Illinois the off-track betting capital of the Midwest.

OTB Illinois Schedule

The most notable event to track for Illinois offtrack betting is the International Festival of Racing held every early August at the Arlington International Race Course. This includes three grade-I turf races: the Arlington Million Stakes, Beverly D. Stakes, and Secretariat Stakes. Also at Arlington is the American Derby held every July.

The Hawthorne Race Course and Fairmount Park Racetrack also hold horse racing events in different times of the year. They may not hold the top-tier races like Arlington, but they offer more in terms of quantity.

Hawthorne has live racing happening for all months of the year except in January, when winter is at its peak. Around mid-February, they begin hosting harness racing up until October, when the thoroughbred racing takes over until December. This includes the Hawthorne Gold Cup and Hawthorne Derby every fall in October. The Illinois Derby and Sixty Sails Handicap are usually every spring in April.

Fairmount holds non-graded and general horse races for two-thirds of the year from spring until fall. It hold s the most races among the three tracks.

There is horse racing across Illinois if you know where to look. Visit each trackā€™s respective sites to find their racing calendars.

illinois off track betting

OTB Illinois and horse racing tracks

Illinois is the horse racing capital of the Midwest and was at a time, Americaā€™s state for horse racing. Around the state are a handful of horse racing tracks but its main three are the Arlington International Racecourse (Arlington Park, formerly), the Hawthorne Race Course, and Fairmount Park Racetrack.

The Arlington International Racecourse is the stateā€™s premier horse racing track. It opened in 1927 and has seen many firsts including being the site of the first thoroughbred race with a million-dollar purse in 1981.

Arlington also hosts the International Festival of Racing every summer in August. This event features three grade-I turf races: the Arlington Million Stakes and Beverly D. Stakes, both Breedersā€™ Cup qualifying races, and the Secretariat Stakes, one of the Grand Slam of Grass races.

The Hawthorne Race Course is Illinoisā€™s most iconic race track and is known as the oldest family-own track in America. It opened in 1891 and is home to the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame where longtime patriarch Tom Carey is a member.

Hawthorne also hosts several horse races like grade-II race, the Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap and grade-III races, the Illinois Derby, Sixty Sails Handicap, and the Hawthorne Derby.

Fairmount Park Racetrack holds over 200 horse races a year and is located by the St. Louis border. It opened in 1925 and has several upcoming upgrades in its future. This is what makes OTB Illinois so exciting! 

Arlington International Racecourse

At one point, Illinois was the horse racing hotspot for the United States and Arlington International Racecourse (then-called Arlington Park) was a significant part of that. It became the first racetrack in America to hold the a thoroughbred race with a million-dollar purse

The Racecourse features the International Festival of Racing every early August, which holds three Grade 1 turf races: the Arlington Million Stakes, Beverly D. Stakes, and Secretariat Stakes.

Arlingtonā€™s track is a one-mile (8 furlongs) track. There is a stabling on the backstreet that holds over 2,000 horses. In 2007, Arlington replaced its dirt track with a synthetic track.

The Arlington Million, perhaps the racecourseā€™s most renowned race, has a purse of $1 million and is part of the Breedersā€™ Cup Challenge series. The winner automatically qualifies for the Longines Breedersā€™ Cup Turf.

Two-time Eclipse Award Horse of the Year John Henry is the only horse to date to win the Arlington Million more than once (1981 and 1984). No jockey or owner has won the Million more than twice either. Chad Brown, one of the best turf trainers today, holds the record among trainers with four victories.

The Beverly D. Stakes is also part of the Breedersā€™ Cup ā€œWin and Youā€™re Inā€ qualifiers. And the Secretariat Stakes is included in the Grand Slam of Grass series.

Hawthorne Race Course

Hawthorne is the oldest continually run family-owned track in North America and is a local treasure in Illinois. It is located in Stickney/Cicero and has been run by the Carey Family since 1891. The race course hosts several grade-II and grade-III races including the Hawthorne Gold Cup, Illinois Derby, and the Hawthorne Derby.

The track has a one-mile (eight furlongs) dirt oval with the home stretch at 1,320 feet, one of the longest in the country. Its track size is similar to the other local tracks.

The Hawthorne Gold Cup has historically been one of the premier races of the season. It attracted the best horses from across the country including Hall of Famer Sun Beau, who won it three consecutive times from 1929 to 1931 (the record). Other Hall of Famers to win the Gold Cup include Equipoise (1933), Discovery (1935), Challedon (1936), Round Table (1957, 1958), Kelso (1960).

Like Sun Beau, the record for most wins by an owner, a jockey, and a trainer all stand at three apiece.

The Illinois Derby was initially a grade-II race and has seen Triple Crown contender War Emblem win in 2002. The Hawthorne Derby was inaugurated in 1965 and is known as running different distances until 1989 where it set its length at 1 1/8 miles (nine furlongs).

Fairmount Park Racetrack

Completing the Illini trifecta of horse racing is the Fairmount Park Racetrack located in Collinsville. Although officially located in Illinois, the track is considered a part of the St. Louis metropolitan area. As early as 1997, the track features as many as 232 live racing days per year, adding excitement to OTB Illinois.

Fairmount was opened in 1925 and once included harness racing until 1999. The track features a racing surface of one-mile (8 furlongs) with straight chutes for six furlong and 1 Ā¼ mile races.

The track also once held the St. Louis Derby. It occasionally hold Breedersā€™ Cup events.

Fairmount Park has seen its attendance dip over the years due to the competition from riverboat casinos in the St. Louis metropolitan area. In an effort to revitalize its operations, it made a bid in 2007 to build a 20,000-seat amphitheater to expand live racing not too unlike racinos from nearby competitors.

There are three OTBā€™s operated by Fairmount Park: Alton, Sauget, and Springfield. Outside of off-tracking betting and races, the park holds plenty of events for both racing and non-racing fans alike such as ā€œParty at the Parkā€.

Off Track Betting Locations in Illinois

Trackside Waukegan630 South Green Bay RoadWaukegan, IL 60085Phone: (847) 336-1400 

Stanleyā€™s Ale House & Restaurant335 North McLean BoulevardSouth Elgin, IL 60123Phone: (847) 468-8022 

Time Out OTB at Fairmount Park315 Belle StreetAlton, IL 62002Phone: (618) 465-1006 

Trackside at Joeā€™s Bar940 West Weed StreetChicago, IL 60642Phone: (312) 787-9600 

Corliss OTB11203 South CorlissChicago, IL 60628 773-995-8238Phone: (773) 995-8238 

Jupiterā€™s at the Crossing2511 Village Green PlaceChampaign, IL 61822Phone: (217) 403-0922 

Ringside Sports Bar and OTB554 East DevonElk Grove Village, IL 60007Phone: (847) 364-4122 

Shark City2240 Bloomindale RoadGlendale Heights, IL 60139Phone: (630) 893-9346 

Trackside at Salerno-Picente Ristorante9301 63rd StreetHodgkins, IL 60525Phone: (708) 354-1668 

Crestwood OTB13148 Rivercrest DriveCrestwood, IL 60445Phone: (773) 995-8238 

Trackside at Iron Horse Saloon1225 East 9th StreetLockport, IL 60441Phone: (815) 838-4420 

Trackside at Nicolinoā€™s621 Ridgeview DriveMcHenry, IL 60050Phone: (815) 344-0742 

Bookie Mageeā€™s2450 Jefferson StreetJoliet, IL 60435Phone: (815) 744-6500 

Lucky Mageeā€™s9215 North Greenwood AvenueNiles, IL 60714Phone: (847) 795-8000 

All Seasons Entertainment Center1304 Cross Creek DriveNormal, IL 61761Phone: (309) 829-3300 

Stoney Point Grill19031 Old LaGrange RoadMokena, IL 60448Phone: (708) 478-1670 

Oakbrook Terrace OTB17W648 22nd StOakbrook Terrace, IL 60181Phone: (630) 627-8238 

Trackside at Samā€™s Triple Crown9201 159th StreetOrland Hills, IL 60487Phone: (708) 873-1119 

The Turf Room650 Randall Crossings LaneNorth Aurora, IL 60542Phone: (630) 906-9300 

Don Carter Lanes4007 East State StreetRockford, IL 61108Phone: (815) 398-2300 

Route 3 OTB2400 Mississippi AvenueSauget, IL 62201Phone: (618) 274-6468 

Trackside at Tavern on North105 East North StreetVilla Park, IL 60181Phone: (630) 758-0099 

Tadā€™s Sports Bar & Grill1322 Gardner StreetSouth Beloit, IL 61080Phone: (815) 389-4921 

Players Pub & Grill1250 South River RoadProspect Heights, IL 60070Phone: (847) 693-7323 

Capital Teletrack1766 Wabash AvenueSpringfield, IL 62704Phone: (217) 546-2111 

The Foundry85 Executive DriveAurora, IL 60504Phone: (630) 978-2088