On March 9, Rivers Casino became the first in Illinois to accept sports bets at its retail location in the Des Plains property. Now, more than three months after casinos shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic, Rivers Casino will again be the first back, this time through its online mobile app. The casino has partnered with BetRivers and Rush Street Interactive to bring the app to life as of June 18.
“We are excited to make history in bringing the first online sportsbook to sports fans in our home state just in time as American sports are coming back into action,” Rush Street Interactive president Richard Schwartz said in a statement.
NASCAR and professional golf have resumed action and the NBA, NHL and MLB expect to return at some point this summer.
The introduction of online sports betting comes after Rivers Casino Chairman Neil Bluhm, along with other casino executives, employed lobbyists to help ensure a massive gambling reform bill signed almost a year ago gave brick and mortar casinos a head start on the sports betting market over online-only giants such as DraftKings and FanDuel. Those companies are locked in an 18-month “penalty box” before they can bid for licenses that go for $20 million apiece, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office estimated sports betting will eventually pump upwards of $100 million into state coffers each year, funds earmarked for his statewide capital projects plan.
