On Selection Sunday, the made-for-television sports extravaganza, the NCAA will reveal the teams that will play in the men’s basketball tournament which begins two days later. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who helped legalize sports betting as part of a major gambling expansion bill last summer, hopes at least one sportsbook will be ready to accept bets.
To that end, the Illinois Gaming Board approved temporary sports betting licenses for the Hollywood Casino locations in Aurora and Joliet, as well as the Par-A-Dice Hotel and Casino in East Peoria. Hollywood is one of the brands under which Penn National Gaming operates casinos, while the Par-A-Dice is run by Boyd Gaming.
Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Eldorado Resorts’ Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin and the Argosy Casino Alton received temporary licenses in January, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Alton is also a Penn National property.
The owners of the Fairmount Park racetrack in Collinsville applied for a license last week but haven’t obtained a temporary permit yet.
To date, Alton has advertised a March Madness launch to capitalize on the tourney. Rivers Casino hopes to be ready in time as well. The law bars betting on Illinois collegiate teams, should any receive an invite to the dance.
All 10 of the state’s existing casinos may apply to open sportsbooks, along with the three tracks and up to seven large sports arenas. Brick-and-mortar sportsbooks may establish mobile betting apps. But online-only operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel must wait at least a year to apply.
Illinois, vying with Montana to become the first state to go live with sports betting in 2020, is widely expected to become one of the sports betting hubs of the US, with annual handle estimates ranging from $2.8 billion to $5.2 billion by 2023.
But Rivers Casino will win the race, with its sports book slated to open at noon on March 9.
“The BetRivers Sportsbook will take March Madness out of the office pool and into an exciting, elevated live sports wagering experience,” said Corey Wise, senior vice president and general manager of Rivers Casino. “We are grateful to the Illinois Gaming Board staff for their work approving our sportsbook in time for the college basketball tournament—one of the greatest sports events of the year.”
“Whether you are a seasoned sportsbook player or a casual sports fan interested in this new entertainment option, we’re dedicated to an environment where all customers will enjoy themselves in this great venue within our premier casino,” said Greg Carlin, CEO and co-founder of Rush Street Gaming, Rivers’ parent company.
