Posted on: July 26, 2020, 04:31h.
Last updated on: July 26, 2020, 06:37h.
Illinois sports betting took another dramatic twist this weekend when it was revealed that Gov. J.B. Pritzker did not extend the executive order waiving the state’s in-person registration requirements for mobile sports betting.
It means that, starting Monday, if you want to sign up for a sports betting account in the Land of Lincoln, then you’ll need to head to the casino or racetrack associated with the account.
On Friday, Pritzker posted a new order that extended several of his previous ones, with one of the exceptions being the sports betting exemption he initially issued on June 4. On June 26, when he extended the state of emergency, he extended the registration order for a 30-day period that ends Sunday.
Pritzker cited the fact that casinos were closed as part of the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as his rationale for lifting the in-person registration requirement. Those casinos, which shut down in mid-March, resumed operations with limits on capacity on July 1.
The new order is just the latest in a saga that’s seen sports gaming technology company DraftKings reach a deal with the Casino Queen 12 days after Pritzker’s first order. Then, after Rush Street Gaming representatives raised issues with the proposed sportsbook’s branding, the East St. Louis casino took the step of rebranding itself to include the DraftKings name.
The move also affects FanDuel, the main online sports betting rival to DraftKings. Both companies received their temporary sports betting license from the Illinois Gaming Board on July 17. But their gaming partners in the state – FanDuel’s reported partner is Fairmount Park in Collinsville – were still awaiting approval.
A FanDuel representative declined to comment. Casino.org also reached out to DraftKings for comment on Sunday afternoon.
Drive Time in Chicago
Currently, only two sportsbooks are active in Illinois. BetRivers, which is based out of the Rivers Des Plaines casino in the Chicago suburbs, and the Argosy Casino in Alton. Only BetRivers has a mobile app active, although DraftKings has posted tweets urging people to preregister as it awaits approval.
The in-person registration requirement will make it challenging for many Illinois residents to sign up for DraftKings, FanDuel, and Argosy’s online applications. All three will have retail locations in the St. Louis suburbs. While that is a strong sports market with more than 2 million people, it pales in size to the Chicago market of about 10 million.
For Chicago area residents to be able to use DraftKings, FanDuel or Argosy’s app, they would first need to drive about 300 miles to those venues and establish an account.
The in-person registration requirement is in effect until January 2022, after which customers are free to register remotely.
BetRivers, PointsBet, Indiana Likely to Benefit
Besides BetRivers, another likely winner from Pritzker’s decision is PointsBet. The Australian-based sportsbook has an agreement in place with Chicago-area racetrack Hawthorne Park to offer retail and mobile sports betting. It received temporary approval from the Illinois Gaming Board on July 17, along with FanDuel and DraftKings. But Hawthorne is still awaiting its final approval from the IGB.
Another winner is likely Indiana, where DraftKings and FanDuel are currently available and there is no in-person registration requirement. Rather than making the 300-mile trek once, Chicago-area FanDuel and DraftKings customers may opt to just make the short drive over to northwest Indiana and continue using the apps they’ve been using for nearly a year.
The Illinois Gaming Board is scheduled to meet on Thursday. The agenda for that meeting should be available on Tuesday.
source https://casinonewsblogger.com/pritzker-declines-to-renew-illinois-mobile-sports-betting-registration-order/
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