Golden Nugget Sportsbook Illinois Bonus Code $250 Free Bet

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

By using the bonus code PLAYBONUS, you will be eligible for a free first bet on the Golden Nugget Sportsbook app for up to $250.

The way the welcome bonus works is simple. When you create your new account and use the bonus code, you’ll receive a an additional bet for the same amount of your initial bet at Golden Nugget — up to $250 — whether your first bet wins or loses.

Your funds will come in the form of a free bet, not as cash. Also, your first settled bet with Golden Nugget is the eligible wager, not necessarily your first bet. Other terms and conditions also apply.

Golden Nugget Sportsbook Illinois promotions

Golden Nugget Sportsbook has plenty of promotions available for Illinois sports bettors:

• Parlay Boost: With this promo, you’ll see your parlay bet to receive a percentage boost, from 3% on three-legged parlays up to 20% for a 20-selection parlay. Keep in mind that all the selections must have odds of -145 or greater.
• Golden Lines: This is the sportsbook’s daily odds boost where you’ll see lines and odds increase to raise your potential winnings. Most of the time, “Golden Lines” restrict your max wager to $25, and the improved odds are not eligible to be added to a parlay.
• Weekly Missions: Golden Nugget also offers a mission each week that allows you the chance to enter a $3,000+ giveaway. All you need to do is opt in, and if the group reaches the community goal, you’ll be entered into the drawing. While your chances of winning aren’t great, it’s free to enter.

With new promotions coming out often, make sure to watch your email and the Golden Nugget promo page.

Is Golden Nugget legal in Illinois?

Yes, Golden Nugget Sportsbook is legal in Illinois. Golden Nugget Online Gaming (GNOG) signed a 20-year deal with Danville Development in 2020, which allowed GNOG to enter the sports wagering market in the Prairie State.

Sports betting became legal in Illinois when Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Sports Wagering Act in June 2019. The first legal sports wager occurred in March 2020.

Illinois law states that you must register in person when creating an Illinois sportsbook account. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mobile registration has been allowed temporarily for extended periods of time. When and if in-person registration returns is not known, but PlayIllinois has the latest status here.

Also, be aware that while betting on college sports is allowed in Illinois, wagering on games involving Illinois-based colleges and universities is strictly prohibited.

How to create a Golden Nugget account in Illinois

Creating your Golden Nugget Sportsbook account should take only a few minutes, whether on the app or website. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Open either the Golden Nugget app or the Golden Nugget website for Illinois.
2. Click on the red “Sign Up” button in the upper-right corner.
3. Enter your email address, create a password and then click “Next.”
4. Enter your full name, date of birth, gender and the last four digits of your Social Security number and hit the “Next” button again.
5. Enter your address and phone number. Then select and answer one security question. This is also the page where you will enter the bonus code PLAYBONUS.
6. After inputting all that info, hit “Next” one last time and your Golden Nugget Sportsbook account will beset.

In-person registration

Depending on when you are signing up for your Golden Nugget account, you may have to do so in person. Golden Nugget doesn’t have a retail partnership in Illinois. The company plans on building a casino in Danville; however, as of December 2020, the casino application hasn’t been OK’d by the Illinois Gaming Board.

Golden Nugget Sportsbook app in Illinois

Before going over what you need to know about the Golden Nugget app, here’s a guide for downloading and installing it onto your Android or iOS device.

How to download the Golden Nugget app

You can use our links to the sportsbook site and follow the prompts to download the app for your device. Once you have clicked on the link from your phone/tablet, you will be asked if you want to download the file.

The download should take only a couple of minutes. When it’s complete click, on the file and select “Install.” You may be asked if you trust the source of the file you are about to install. Once again, select yes.

When the app finishes installing, you are ready to set up your account.

Navigating the Golden Nugget app

Once you open up the Golden Nugget app, you’ll notice that it’s more than just a sportsbook, it also is an online casino. So, if and when online casinos become legal in Illinois, you would be able to use it for that, as well. But for this review, we’re strictly looking at the sportsbook portion.

Down the right side of the page are links to your account, make a deposit, contact support or follow some of Golden Nugget’s social media pages.

The middle of the screen is where the bulk of the action is, including where you will see live games and other games. A dropdown menu in the middle of the screen displays promos, a betting guides, a look at your betting history and more. Next to that is your bet slip, where you’re able to see all your pending bets.

Best features of the Golden Nugget Sportsbook app

Here are what we consider some of the best features of the Golden Nugget Sportsbook app:

• Payment and Withdrawal Options: One of the worst things for an online sportsbook is to have a great app with plenty of promotions, but few ways to do banking. Golden Nugget hosts plenty of ways to deposit and withdraw money from your account.
• Backing of Trusted Name: Legal sports betting is still in the infancy in Illinois and the country outside of Nevada. It’s great to have a reputable brand such as Golden Nugget to use for legal sports betting. You know you can count on it to be around for the long haul and to have secure systems in place to protect your information.
• 24/7 Customer Service: Golden Nugget Sportsbook hosts a customer service department that is there to take your call, chat or email 24/7, 365 days a year.

How could Golden Nugget Sportsbook improve?

Here are our thoughts on a few of the areas where Golden Nugget online sportsbook could use some improvement:

• Dedicated Sportsbook-Only App: We’re not a fan of the combination sportsbook-online casino app, even if online casinos were legal in Illinois. When you open the Golden Nugget app, it defaults to the casino, so you always have to navigate to the sportsbook. It would be easier to have two separate apps. Compare it to DraftKings and FanDuel: Both have a highly successful sportsbook and daily fantasy sports sites, and they both have dedicated apps for each.
• Better Rewards/Loyalty Club: Golden Nugget does have a loyalty club, but you need to earn at least 5,000 Golden Points before you can join the VIP Rewards Club. It feels crazy that we have to earn that many points to qualify. It also is highly tied to Golden Nugget’s online casino offering. What we’d love to see is a rewards program specifically for the sportsbook.
• More and Better Promos: Not only does Golden Nugget not have a lot of promotions, but the ones it does have are not the best. For starters, the welcome offer could be a lot better. We’d love to see more and better regularly featured promos. For example, the parlay boost is nice, but offering 20% increases on 20-leg parlays is something hardly any of us will ever use.

Types of bets available at Golden Nugget Sportsbook

Here’s a list of the types of sports wagers you can make at Golden Nugget, along with an explanation and example of how they operate:

• Moneyline: Bets where you are picking the winner, plain and simple. Here’s an example to understand what the moneyline numbers represent: Chicago White Sox -220 vs. Chicago Cubs +190. The minus indicates that the White Sox are the favorites, and it would take a bet of $220 to win $100. As for the underdog Cubs, a $100 wager would result in you winning $190.
• Spreads: Bets where your pick must “cover the spread.” In other words, favorites need to win by a specific amount and underdogs can only lose by a specific amount. So, if the spread is Chicago Bears -5.5, Green Bay Packers +5.5, that means the Bears are favored and they need to win by six points or more. While as the underdogs, the Packers can either win outright or lose by five points or fewer.
• Totals: Also called over/unders, these are wagers where you bet on the total number of points scored. Say the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons are playing and the total is set at 217.5. You would bet on if you think the Bulls and Pistons will combine to score over or under 217.5. Thus, if the final score is 110-100, bets on the under are the winners.
• Props: Here, you have side bets that do not have to do specifically with the outcome of a contest. Prop bets are available for almost all sports at Golden Nugget Sportsbook; examples of props would be betting on whether quarterback Mitchell Trubisky will throw a touchdown pass in a Bears’ game or if Jonathan Toews will score a goal during a Chicago Blackhawks’ game.
• Parlays: These are bets where you are making multiple selections and combining them into one wager. Parlays can be across different sports and involve different types of bets. For example, you could create a parlay in which you bet on the Blackhawks moneyline, the Bears to cover the spread and the Bulls game total to be over. If each of those things happened, your parlay would be a winner.
• Teasers: Teasers happen mostly with football and basketball and involve betting against the spread with multiple teams. Let’s say you want to bet on the three games and the lines the teams you want to bet on are +5.5, -3.5 and -10.5. You would tease the lines by six points so that the new lines would be +11.5, +2.5 and -4.5, so now all the games are more favorable for you.
• Round Robins: In round robins, you are grouping bets together, but not all into one like you would with a parlay. For example, if you’re betting on the Bulls, Bears and Blackhawks in a round robin, you would end up with one bet each on the Bulls and Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks, and Bears and Blackhawks all to win. This way, you’re covered if only two out of the three picks win. And if they all win, all three of your bets cash.
• Futures: These are bets where you’re looking further into the future than just one game. Futures betting is often associated with betting on teams to win championships and players to win regular-season awards. You also can bet on teams’ regular-season win totals when it comes to futures betting.
• Live Betting: These are bets that are made after a game already has started. The lines during in-game betting can shift dramatically when game-changing plays happen, so be prepared to make your bets before the numbers change.

Sports you can bet on at Golden Nugget in Illinois

Golden Nugget online sportsbook in Illinois has odds and lines on about any team and league.

When it comes to pro sports, you can bet on the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS and UFC using the Golden Nugget app. But that’s far from all; there also are markets for the PGA Tours, in tennis you can bet on the WTA and ATP, and for motorsports, there’s NASCAR and IndyCar action.

If soccer is your sport, but the MLS isn’t enough, there are international leagues galore like the English Premier League, Champions League and Spain’s La Liga, just to name a few.

Finally, you can even try your luck with smaller, fringe sports.

Illinois team betting guide

You’ll notice that we’re only talking about professional teams. In Illinois, it is illegal to bet on games involving Illinois-based colleges and universities.

There are two Chicago MLB teams to bet on at Golden Nugget: the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. The two teams have been around for more than a hundred years each, and both the North Siders and South Siders have won three World Series titles a piece.

In the NBA you’ve got the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls won six NBA titles in an eight-year span in the ’90s thanks to His Airness himself, Michael Jordan.

Another iconic franchise makes its home in Chicago, and that’s the Chicago Bears of the NFL. The Bears have only won one Super Bowl, back in 1985 against the New England Patriots, but the Bears have more players (35) in the Pro Football Hall of Fame than any other organization.

The Chicago Blackhawks are another top organization from the Windy City. Not only have the Hawks won six Stanley Cup titles overall, but three of them have come since the 2009-10 season.

There are two more pro teams from Chicago that you can bet on using the Golden Nugget Sportsbook app. There’s the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, who are not affiliated with the Bulls, making them one of the few teams not allied with their NBA counterpart.

Then there’s the Chicago Fire. The Fire became one of the few franchises in all the sports to win a championship in their inaugural season in 1998. Chicago has reached the MLS Cup Finals on two other occasions, losing both times.

Golden Nugget Illinois futures market

For those who are new to online sports betting in Illinois, futures betting is when you wager on season-long or championship events instead of only betting on one game.

Sportsbooks tend to differ in exactly what type of futures markets they offer their users, but here’s a look at the futures markets you likely will see at Golden Nugget in Illinois.

• Championship Futures: This is one of the most popular futures markets. You’re able to bet on the Bears, White Sox, Cubs, Blackhawks, Bulls, Sky or Fire to win the title in their respective sports. Oftentimes championship futures are available immediately after the crowing of the champion. You usually can bet on conference and division winners as well.
• Season Win Totals: This is a great form of futures betting, especially if you want to bet on your favorite team, but you don’t necessarily think they’re going to win the title that year. When wagering on regular-season win totals, Golden Nugget Sportsbook will provide you with the total, and you pick the over or the under. For example, for the Chicago Bears, the number could be 8.5 wins for the season.
• Player Futures: When it comes to player futures markets, you have the opportunity to bet on who you think will win MVP awards, etc. Golden Nugget might have odds on statistical accomplishments, with the most common being passing, rushing and receiving leaders in the NFL.

Future odds can change quickly when a team makes a big trade or free-agent signing or when a star player is lost for the season, like what happened to the Golden State Warriors and Klay Thompson prior to the 2020-21 NBA season.

How to deposit and withdraw on the Golden Nugget app

One of the best parts about the Golden Nugget online sportsbook is the number of methods you have to both deposit and cash out, remotely and in person. Here’s a look at all your options when it comes to funding your Golden Nugget Sportsbook account:

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

Note that the Amex, Visa, Mastercard and VIP Preferred methods require deposits of at least $20, while the other choices require only $10.

Here are your options for withdrawing money from Golden Nugget:

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

If you want a check mailed to you, the minimum is $300, while for a bank wire transfer the minimum is $500. For PayPal and a Play+ card, you can cash out only $10. And if you use VIP Preferred, you must withdraw at least $20.

How to contact Golden Nugget customer support

Another benefit is that customer support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

You can call 1-855-873-1010, and you can email [email protected] Or you can go to the Golden Nugget app or website and live chat with someone from the customer service team.

Responsible gambling at Golden Nugget

As part of legal, regulated gaming, Golden Nugget promotes responsible gambling practices.

The Golden Nugget’s website includes information about organizations you can contact if you have a gambling problem. Golden Nugget also lets you set restrictions on how much you can gamble and how often. If you have a serious problem, you also are able to exclude yourself completely from Golden Nugget’s online sportsbook.

Is Golden Nugget the best sportsbook in Illinois?

It is way too early for Golden Nugget to be considered the best sportsbook in Illinois. While it has the backing of one of the top names in the casino industry, it’s not enough to put it in the class of other sportsbooks in Illinois, such as FanDuel, DraftKings, William Hill or PointsBet.

All those sportsbooks have proven to have what it takes to be among the best in the Prairie State. There’s no reason why Golden Nugget can’t reach those lofty heights eventually.