Dave Portnoy, the man behind Barstool Sportsbook, announced that on March 11, Barstool would go live in Illinois. The company will be the sixth mobile operator in the state, while Illinois represents the third state Barstool operates an online sportsbook, including Pennsylvania and Michigan. Barstool also has a retail sportsbook in Indiana and Colorado, according to Sports Handle.
“We are extremely excited to launch our online Barstool Sportsbook in Illinois just as the college basketball regular season wraps up and bettors begin their preparations for March Madness,” said Barstool owner, Penn National’s President and CEO Jay Snowden.
Barstool will be tied to Hollywood Casino in Aurora, where it will also have a retail sportsbook. The company will have retail outlets in Hollywood Casino in Joliet and Argosy Casino Alton as well.
The five mobile operators in Illinois have a track record and three—DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetRivers—have surpassed $100 million in handle the last two months.
Thanks to Portnoy and a cast of characters since the founding of Barstool Chicago in 2012, Barstool gains instant notoriety when it launches. The group has covered all things Chicago with daily blogs and social media posts, along with the Red Line Radio podcast.
“As the only gaming operator with a fully integrated sports media and
entertainment partner, our customers in Illinois will now be able to engage with these Barstool personalities through the online Barstool Sportsbook and enjoy their unique take on Chicago sports,” Snowden said.
BetMGM and Unibet also seek licenses from the Illinois Gaming Board. Because of its relationship with Boyd Gaming, BetMGM expects to partner with Par-A-Dice Casino. Unibet will likely be part of Argosy Casino Alton.
