Circa Sports wants to make its mark in sports-heavy Illinois. In May 2022, Circa applied for a management services provider license, but was not approved for a full-scale sportsbook.
Circa Sports revealed a partnership with Full House Resorts Inc., the company that opened The Temporary by American Place outside of Chicago. The Temporary is a state-of-the-art casino and resort that will feature a Circa Sportsbook in the near future. When eventually operational, the Waukegan location will be the first retail Circa Sportsbook outside of Nevada.
Aaron Oster, Circa Sports’ Marketing Manager, told the Chicago Tribune that Circa hopes to launch its online sportsbook in the third quarter.
Circa has garnered a reputation as the premier in-person sportsbook destination in Las Vegas, despite not being on the Strip, with its state-of-the-art Stadium Swim.
Derek Stevens founded Circa in 2019. He named it after the Vegas casino and resort of the same name, also founded by Stevens.
The first retail operation opened June 1 2019 , at the Golden Gate hotel-casino owned by Stevens. Circa Resort opened on October 28, 2020, and was a hit immediately. In March 2021, Circa opened a sportsbook at the Tuscan.
Circa established partnerships with Century Casinos in Colorado, and Wild Rose in Iowa, with plans to provide both locations with mobile betting. According to the Illinois Gaming Board, Circa Sports Illinois LLC applied for a Management Services Provider license on May 16, 2022.
In the interim, American Place opened The Temporary back in late February. It includes hundreds of different slot machines, dozens of different table games like blackjack and roulette and a sportsbook from Circa slated to open in the upcoming months.
While Circa Sports has a decent market share at 3.5 percent in Nevada, its home operating state, the competition in Illinois is much tougher as DraftKings and FanDuel have been operating in the state for roughly three years at this point. However, Circa hopes that allowing sharp bettors and competing on price instead of promos will help it win in the long run.
While American Place is under development, The Temporary provides players with a one-stop shop any and all gambling desires. The Circa Sportsbook is not yet operational in The Temporary, but the casino does have hundreds of different slot options and dozens or table games.
When finished, the Circa Sportsbook in The Temporary will include betting kiosks, physical ticket windows and digital boards with real-time odds. Additionally, the retail sportsbook will include 36 TVs so bettors can catch anything from the NBA to professional tennis.
Players can use the Circa Sports app to sign up and wager on any sport in the state.
Circa Sports was slated to fully launch its mobile sports betting in the Land of Lincoln in late 2022 but was delayed due to logistical issues.
While Circa Sports is not currently a legal operator in the Land of Lincoln, the Las Vegas-based betting company announced a partnership with Full House Resorts for an eventual sportsbook site at American Place.
In the meantime, Full House will operate a Circa Sports’ book in The Temporary by American Place, in conjunction with the launch of the mobile sports betting app.
