Just in time for March Madness, on Saturday, March 5, Illinois permanently eliminated the in-person registration requirement for sports betting. Analysts said online betting could result in a record $1 billion in legal sports bets in Illinois this month.
PlayIllinois.com analyst Joe Boozell said, “People are not willing to drive to a casino or retail sportsbook, in order to sign up for a sports betting account. This change will allow Illinois to reach its full potential as a sports betting state.”
Illinois lawmakers approved sports wagering in 2019 as one provision of a comprehensive gambling expansion bill; however, unlike most states, the new law required customers to sign up at a casino sportsbook in order to place an online wager. Rivers Casino Des Plaines was the first casino to open a sportsbook, in March 2020, and later was the first to offer mobile sports betting, in June 2020, as casinos remained closed due to Covid-19. Governor J.B. Pritzker temporarily suspended the in-person registration requirement, allowing bettors to create accounts and wager online. But he reinstated it in April 2021 as Covid-19 restrictions eased statewide.
The state has nine operating retail sportsbooks, with seven that offer online sports betting; three more are expected to launch soon. Observers said the 10-month waiver on in-person registration enabled FanDuel and DraftKings to advertise heavily in Chicago, sign up new mobile customers and become the top-grossing sportsbooks in the state. They partner with downstate brick-and-mortar facilities venues.
According to the Illinois Gaming Board, more than $7 billion was wagered in Illinois last year, with about 95 percent of wagers placed online. The sportsbooks generated $525 million in adjusted gross, with the state receiving tax revenue of $79 million and Cook County receiving about $6 million.
Chris Grove, a partner with the California-based research and consulting firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, said remote registration will benefit FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM the most. He said they already have begun aggressive advertising campaigns to sign up Chicago customers. Grove stated, “We’ll definitely see an uptick in marketing in Illinois. Your ability to capitalize on that marketing as an operator increases by several orders of magnitude if all you need to do is to get someone to download an app as opposed to drive into East St. Louis.”
DraftKings Director of Sportsbook Operations Johnny Avello said, “Mobile registration is an important factor for the success of legalized sports betting in Illinois. We are thrilled that the legislature has lifted the artificial barrier of in-person registration and is now allowing customers to register their DraftKings Sportsbook accounts remotely.”
In addition to Rivers Casino Des Plaines’ BetRivers, Chicago-area online sportsbooks include PointsBet, partnered with Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney; Caesars Sportsbook at Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin; and Barstool Sportsbook at Hollywood Casino Aurora. In December, the city of Chicago approved sports betting at sports venues, eventually allowing a DraftKings sportsbook at Wrigley Field and a FanDuel sportsbook at the United Center.
The Illinois Gaming Board recently approved BetMGM, the nation’s third-largest sportsbook behind FanDuel and DraftKings, as the online sports betting platform for Par-A-Dice Casino in East Peoria. Its online app, which went live March 5, is Illinois’ seventh online sportsbook. Observers said BetMGM’s launch will drive more sportsbook promotions and more competitive offers.
“Illinois has had one of the weirdest sports betting rollouts in the country, but it’s also one of the most successful markets. Illinois is so populous and has such rabid fan bases, it’s a recipe for a robust market,” Boozell said.
Still, many people are worried that easy access to mobile apps will lead to underage gambling. Illinois Council on Problem Gambling Administrator Bill Johnson noted calls to Illinois gambling helplines, especially from younger men, have sharply increased since sports betting was made legal in 2020.
Johnson said although sports betting apps utilize a variety of security measures and players must be at least 21 years old to place a legal sports wager, “A lot of our young people in the world today are very tech savvy. So I imagine this going to be an issue for us down the road.”
