Golden Nugget Illinois welcome bonus: Up to $250 in value

Enter the bonus code PLAYBONUS to receive a complimentary first bet worth up to $250 when using the Golden Nugget Sportsbook app.

The welcome bonus at Golden Nugget is simple to use. When you create a new account and enter the bonus code, you will receive a bonus bet that matches your first bet, up to $250, regardless of whether your first bet wins or loses.

Please be aware that you will receive the funds as a bonus bet, not in cash. Your first settled bet with Golden Nugget will be considered the eligible wager for this promotion, not necessarily the first bet you place. Please note that there are additional terms and conditions that apply.

Golden Nugget Sportsbook Illinois promotions

Illinois sports bettors have access to a wide variety of promotions at Golden Nugget Sportsbook.

• Enhance Your Parlay: With this special offer, you can boost the percentage of your parlay wager, beginning at 3% for three-leg parlays and going up to 20% for a parlay with 20 selections. Just keep in mind that each pick must have odds of -145 or greater.
• Golden Lines is a daily promotion from the sportsbook that boosts betting lines and odds to increase potential winnings. Typically, the maximum bet allowed is $25 and the enhanced odds cannot be used in parlay bets.
• Join Golden Nugget’s weekly mission for a chance to win a share of over $3,000. Just opt in and you could be entered into the drawing if the community goal is met. While winning is not guaranteed, entry is at no cost to you.

Be sure to regularly check your email and the Golden Nugget promo page for the latest promotions.

Is Golden Nugget legal in Illinois?

Golden Nugget Sportsbook is officially permitted in Illinois. In 2020, Golden Nugget Online Gaming (GNOG) established a 20-year deal with Danville Development, allowing GNOG to enter the sports betting industry in the Prairie State.

The Sports Wagering Act, signed by Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois in June 2019, officially legalized sports betting. The first legal sports bet was placed in March 2020.

Once the Golden Nugget is up and running in Illinois, residents will be able to sign up online without having to register in person.

Please be aware that while Illinois permits betting on college sports, it is prohibited to wager on games involving colleges and universities located in Illinois.

How to create a Golden Nugget account in Illinois

This guide will walk you through the simple process of creating your Golden Nugget Sportsbook account in minutes, whether you’re using the app or the website.

1. Visit the Golden Nugget app or website for Illinois to access.
2. Press the red “Sign Up” button situated in the top-right corner.
3. Please enter your email address, create a password, and click “Next.”
4. Please enter your full name, date of birth, gender, and the last four digits of your Social Security number before clicking on the “Next” button.
5. To proceed, kindly share your address and contact number. Additionally, select and answer a security question. Don’t forget to enter the bonus code PLAYBONUS on this page.
6. After providing all required information, click “Next” one last time to create your Golden Nugget Sportsbook account.

Golden Nugget Sportsbook app in Illinois

Before we discuss the important details, let’s first provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to download and install the Golden Nugget app on your Android or iOS device.

How to download the Golden Nugget app

To download the app for your device, simply click on the sportsbook site links and follow the provided instructions. Once you tap on the link using your phone or tablet, a prompt will pop up asking if you would like to download the file.

The download will only take a few minutes. Once it is finished, click on the file and select “Install.” You may need to confirm that you trust the source of the file before installing. If prompted, choose ‘yes’ to proceed.

After the app installation finishes, you can then move forward with setting up your account.

Navigating the Golden Nugget app

When you open the Golden Nugget app, you’ll see that it offers more than just sports betting – it also features an online casino. If online casinos become legal in Illinois, you could use the app for that as well. However, for the purposes of this review, we will only be discussing the sportsbook section of the app.

You can find links to your account, the deposit page, customer support, and Golden Nugget’s social media pages on the right side of the page.

Most of the action, such as live and other games, takes place in the center of the screen. A dropdown menu located there offers promos, betting guides, a view of your betting history, and more. Next to this is your bet slip, where all your pending bets are displayed.

Best features of the Golden Nugget Sportsbook app

We consider the following features of the Golden Nugget Sportsbook app to be superior:

• Golden Nugget offers a variety of payment and withdrawal options, ensuring that customers have easy access to their funds. This sets them apart from other online sportsbooks that may have limited banking choices despite offering attractive promotions and features on their app.
• Recommendation from a Trusted Brand: Legal sports betting is still a growing industry in Illinois and other states outside of Nevada. Choosing a reputable brand like Golden Nugget for your sports betting needs can be advantageous. With a long-standing presence in the industry, Golden Nugget provides secure systems to protect your information.
• The customer service department at Golden Nugget Sportsbook is always on hand to help, offering assistance through phone, chat, or email every day of the year, around the clock.

How could Golden Nugget Sportsbook improve?

Here are some suggestions for improvements that Golden Nugget online sportsbook could consider implementing.

• A dedicated sportsbook app is essential for optimal user experience. The current trend of combining sportsbook and online casino apps is not ideal, especially in states like Illinois where online casinos may be legal. The Golden Nugget app, for instance, defaults to the casino section, requiring constant switching to access the sportsbook. Separating the two into distinct apps, as seen with DraftKings and FanDuel, would streamline the process and improve overall functionality. These successful companies have separate apps for sportsbook and daily fantasy sports, proving the benefits of dedicated platforms.
• Improvement to Rewards/Loyalty Club: While Golden Nugget does have a loyalty program, joining their VIP Rewards Club requires a minimum of 5,000 Golden Points, which may be considered excessive. This club is primarily associated with Golden Nugget’s online casino, and it would be beneficial to have a separate rewards program tailored specifically for the sportsbook.
• Enhanced Promotions: Golden Nugget has the opportunity to enhance and expand its promotional offerings. Currently, their promotions are lacking in both quantity and quality. One key area for improvement is the welcome offer, which could be made more appealing to new customers. It would be beneficial to see more frequent and higher-quality promotions introduced. For example, while the parlay boost is a good offer, a 20% increase on a 20-leg parlay is not practical for most customers.

Types of bets available at Golden Nugget Sportsbook

Below is a comprehensive guide to the variety of sports bets available at Golden Nugget, including detailed descriptions and illustrative examples of their functionality.

• A Moneyline bet is a wager on the straight-up winner of a game. The numbers in the Moneyline indicate the odds. For example, in a match between the Chicago White Sox at -220 and the Chicago Cubs at +190, the minus sign shows the favored team (White Sox) where a $220 bet could win $100. On the other hand, the Cubs are the underdogs, meaning a $100 bet could potentially win $190.
• Spreads involve betting on whether a team will cover a specified point difference. For example, if the spread is Chicago Bears -5.5, Green Bay Packers +5.5, the Bears are expected to win by at least six points while the Packers can either win or lose by no more than five points.
• Totals, also called over/unders, are a type of bet where you predict the total number of points scored in a game. For example, if the Chicago Bulls are playing the Detroit Pistons and the total is set at 217.5, you would wager on whether you think the combined score will be higher or lower than 217.5. If the final score is 110-100, those who bet on the under would win.
• Proposition bets, also known as prop bets, are bets that do not depend on the final outcome of a competition. Golden Nugget Sportsbook offers a wide variety of prop bets for almost any sport. For example, you can bet on whether quarterback Mitchell Trubisky will throw a touchdown pass in a Bears’ game, or if Jonathan Toews will score a goal in a Chicago Blackhawks’ game.
• Parlays involve combining multiple selections into one bet, which can include various sports and types of bets. For example, you could create a parlay by betting on the Blackhawks to win, the Bears to cover the spread, and the Bulls to score over a certain total. If all of these predictions are correct, your parlay bet is successful.
• Teasers are commonly seen in football and basketball, where bets are placed against the spread on multiple teams. For example, if you want to bet on three games with team lines at +5.5, -3.5, and -10.5, you can adjust these lines by six points. This adjustment would result in new lines of +11.5, +2.5, and -4.5, giving you a better advantage in all the games.
• Round Robin Betting: When participating in this type of betting, you group your bets together, but not as a single entity like in a parlay. For example, if you were to place a bet on the Bulls, Bears, and Blackhawks in a round robin, you would be placing individual bets on the Bulls and Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks, and Bears and Blackhawks all to win. This strategy provides protection in case only two out of the three choices are successful. If all three teams win, you will win all three of your bets.
• Futures bets are placed on upcoming events beyond a single game, often involving predictions on team championships, player awards, or total regular-season wins.
• Live betting, also known as in-game betting, involves placing wagers while a game is in progress. The odds can shift quickly based on key game events, so it’s important to act fast and place your bets before the numbers change.

Sports you can bet on at Golden Nugget in Illinois

The Golden Nugget online sportsbook in Illinois provides odds and lines for a wide range of teams and leagues.

The Golden Nugget app offers betting options for a wide range of professional sports, such as NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and UFC. Additionally, users can also place bets on PGA Tours, WTA and ATP tennis matches, as well as NASCAR and IndyCar races.

If soccer is your favorite sport and you’re not satisfied with the MLS, there are plenty of other international leagues to watch, including the English Premier League, Champions League, and Spain’s La Liga.

Finally, you can also try your luck with smaller, less popular sports.

Illinois team betting guide

Our conversation is centered only on professional teams. It is illegal to place bets on games involving colleges and universities in Illinois.

You can bet on the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox at Golden Nugget. Both teams have a long history, each with over a century of existence and three World Series titles. They are fondly referred to as the North Siders and South Siders.

The Chicago Bulls are a well-known team in the NBA, having won six championships in the 90s thanks to the outstanding skills of Michael Jordan, also known as His Airness.

The Chicago Bears, a prestigious team in the NFL, are based in Chicago. They won the Super Bowl in 1985 by defeating the New England Patriots. Surprisingly, the Bears have the most players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame compared to any other team, with a total of 35 players enshrined.

The Chicago Blackhawks, a prominent team from the Windy City, have won a total of six Stanley Cup championships. Surprisingly, three of these titles have been won since the 2009-10 season.

The Golden Nugget Sportsbook app offers betting options on two additional professional teams based in Chicago, including the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. Unlike several other teams, the Chicago Sky is not affiliated with their NBA counterpart, the Bulls.

Next up is the Chicago Fire. They made history during their inaugural season in 1998 by winning a championship, becoming one of the few sports franchises to do so. Although they have made it to the MLS Cup Finals two more times, they were unlucky to lose on both occasions.

Golden Nugget Illinois futures market

For newcomers to online sports betting in Illinois, it’s important to understand that futures betting involves wagering on season-long or championship events, as opposed to individual games.

The futures markets available at sportsbooks can differ, but here is a sneak peek at the probable futures markets you can expect to find at Golden Nugget in Illinois.

• Futures Betting on Championships: This popular market allows you to wager on teams like the Bears, White Sox, Cubs, Blackhawks, Bulls, Sky, or Fire to win their respective sports titles. These bets are often available as soon as the previous champion is determined, and you can also bet on conference and division winners.
• Season Win Totals Betting: This form of futures betting is perfect for those looking to wager on their favorite team without expecting them to win the championship. Golden Nugget Sportsbook offers the total number of wins for the regular season, giving you the option to bet over or under. For example, if the Chicago Bears have a projected win total of 8.5 games for the season.
• Player Futures: Bet on potential MVP winners and other outcomes in player futures markets. Golden Nugget frequently offers odds on statistical accomplishments, such as NFL leaders in passing, rushing, and receiving.

The odds of future games can quickly change due to a team making a major trade or signing a free agent, or if a key player is injured for the season. This was evident with the Golden State Warriors and Klay Thompson prior to the 2020-21 NBA season.

How to deposit and withdraw on the Golden Nugget app

The Golden Nugget online sportsbook is known for its wide range of deposit and withdrawal methods, available both online and in person. Here is a breakdown of the different options you have for managing your Golden Nugget Sportsbook account:

• Credit cards from American Express, Visa, and Mastercard.
• Online bank transfer
• PayNearMe locations
• PayPal
• Prepaid Play+ credit card
• VIP Preferred

Please be aware that deposit methods such as Amex, Visa, Mastercard, and VIP Preferred require a minimum deposit of $20, while the other options only require a minimum deposit of $10.

Here are the withdrawal options available at Golden Nugget:

• Bank wire transfer
• Check by mail
• PayPal
• Prepaid Play+ credit card
• VIP Preferred

In order to receive a check, you must have at least $300 in your account, while a minimum of $500 is needed for a bank wire transfer. PayPal and Play+ card transactions have a minimum cash out of $10, and for VIP Preferred, the minimum withdrawal amount is $20.

How to contact Golden Nugget customer support

Another benefit is having access to customer support around the clock, every day of the week.

Don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-855-873-1010 or email us at [email protected] You can also use the Golden Nugget app or website to start a live chat with our customer service team.

Responsible gambling at Golden Nugget

Golden Nugget supports responsible gambling practices as part of the legal and regulated gaming industry.

The Golden Nugget website offers support for individuals facing gambling issues, including the ability to set limits on betting amounts and frequency. For those with a more severe problem, there is also the option to self-exclude from the online sportsbook entirely.

Is Golden Nugget the best sportsbook in Illinois?

Golden Nugget is far from being the top sportsbook in Illinois, despite its backing from a prominent casino industry figure. It lags behind other popular Illinois sportsbooks such as FanDuel, DraftKings, William Hill, and PointsBet.

Every sportsbook in the Prairie State has shown potential to be among the best, and there is no doubt that Golden Nugget can reach that level of excellence in the future.