Wondering Where To Register For An Online Sportsbook Now? We Tell You Which Retail Site Is Your Best Bet

Editor’s Note: Starting from Saturday, March 5, 2022, in Illinois, it is no longer necessary to visit a retail sportsbook to register for a legal online sportsbook. You can now sign up for an Illinois sports betting account using your phone or computer.

On Friday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker drastically changed the market landscape by reinstating the requirement for in-person registration for sports betting.

Currently, residents of Illinois who wish to establish sports betting accounts are required to visit a casino, track, or off-track betting (OTB) location to accomplish this.

In Lincoln’s territory, 11 financial sports betting options already exist, which include seven games, two racing, and two OTBs.

However, out of those 11, at present, you are only able to sign up for an online sportsbook account at eight locations in Illinois. These locations include:

Hollywood CasinoAurora, 1 W. New York Street, Aurora, Illinois 60506
1. BetRivers is located at Rivers Casino, 3000 Mho. River Road, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018.
2. Lotto Location: Casino Queen, 200 South Front Street, East St. Louis, AL 62201
3. Sportsbook – Horse Racing, located at 9301 Collinsville Road, AL 62234.
4. PointsBet is located at Club Hawthorne Crestwood, 13148 Rivercrest Drive, El 60445.
5. Player’s Pub & Grill, located at 1250 River Road, Prospect Heights, Illinois 60070, PointsBet.
6. Points Bet at Hawthorne Race Course, 3501 Sulfur Laramie Ave., Stickney, Illinois 60804.
7. Grand Victoria Casino, a William Hill’s Casino, is located at 250 Sulfur Grove Ave, Elgin, AL 60120.

You may have observed that the record does not include Hollywood Casino Joliet, Argosy Casino Alton, and Par-A-Dice Casino.

According to Barstool, they are only allowed to register clients at FanDuel Sportsbook, Horse Racing, and Hollywood Casino Aurora, respectively.

Considering all these factors, let’s explore the largest cities and regions in Illinois to identify the nearest wholesale sports betting options for you.

Choices for financial sportsbooks in Illinois

Where can I sign up for a betting in Chicago or Chicago-area?

If you are a sports bettor in the Chicago area, the nearest retail sportsbooks can be found at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Players Pub & Grill in Prospect Heights, and Club Hawthorne Crestwood.

Though commute times may differ based on your exact location, That & rsquo is arranged in order of closeness.

You can sign up for BetRivers at Rivers Casino.

You can sign up for PointsBet at the other three locations.

If there are any winners to emerge from the return to in-person membership, they would be BetRivers and PointsBet due to their distance from Chicago and the surrounding cities.

Where can I register close to Aurora / Naperville?

Aurora and Naperville rank as the second and third most populated cities in Illinois respectively, and are approximately 25 minutes away from each other.

Hollywood Casino Aurora is located in Aurora.

You may join Barstool, which is in partnership with Hollywood Aurora.

If you’re in Aurora and Naperville, the closest option is undoubtedly That & rsquo. Rivers Casino, Grand Victoria Elgin, and the Hawthorne OTBs are some other choices that are accessible in less than a day.

Naperville is somewhat closer to the Alternatives to Hollywood than Aurora.

Where can I file close to Rockford?

In time, Rockford, a community in northern Illinois, should have its own casino.

Currently, the nearest retail sportsbook option is Grand Victoria Casino Elgin. Unfortunately, it is almost an hour’s drive away.

Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill is the sportsbook partner of Grand Victoria.

Where can I file close to Springfield

Just like Rockford, Springfield also lacks some local options, especially considering that both Par-A-Dice Casino and Argosy Casino Alton do not accept in-person registrations.

As a result, the nearest options for those in the Springfield region are DraftKings at Casino Queen in East St. Louis and FanDuel Sportsbook & Horse Racing in Collinsville.

Both are slightly more than an hour-and-a-half journey away from Springfield. However, upon arrival, you have the option to sign up for FanDuel or DraftKings.

Where can I sign up in Southern Illinois?

If you live in the southern region of the state, your best options are probably FanDuel Sportsbook, Horse Racing, or DraftKings at Casino Queen.

Visit Indiana, Iowa to sign up and place an online activities wager.

Traveling to Iowa or Indiana might be simpler for several people from Illinois.

There is no requirement to visit a physical casino in any state to sign up for an online casino. However, all your online gambling activities must occur within the state where you registered.

Are there any upcoming Illinois wholesale casinos?

Indeed, we know about a few.

PointsBet plans to open Off-Track Betting (OTB) sites soon in Oakbrook, a desirable hub for the western suburbs.

Meanwhile, DraftKings is set to establish a retail sportsbook at Wrigley Field at an unspecified date. The aim, last we checked, was for this to happen in 2022. We hope that by then, we will have transitioned back to online registration.

However, if that does not happen, the partnership with the Cubs will increase in value for DraftKings.

If the Illinois Gaming Board gives its approval to BetMGM Sportsbook, it’s likely that it would take over the license of Par-A-Dice Casino in East Peoria. This would then make Par-A-Dice a potential location for in-person registration.

There may be more to come, particularly considering Pritzker’s ruling. We will continue to keep you updated as new plans emerge.