With a large population and the primary city of Chicago being home to franchises from all four major sports, Illinois is possibly behind only California, Texas and New York in terms of desirability for sportsbook operators. In-person betting began in early March of 2020, in the attempt to be ready for the NCAA basketball tournament, but the plan never materialized due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Online betting in Illinois launched in June of 2020 and after the state did away with a requirement that all online bettors register in person, Illinois started to roll. As of 2022, Illinois is in the top five states for handle and tax generated. There are currently seven online sportsbooks operating in Illinois and anyone who wants to have a bet on college games in Illinois still has to place the bet in person.