DraftKings Sportsbook Fast-Tracks Illinois Access With Casino Queen Deal

DraftKings is set to launch in Illinois, following a partnership with the Casino Queen property in East St. Louis as revealed in a June SEC filing. The actual launch date is yet to be announced, but DraftKings is predicted to become a significant contender in the Illinois sports betting market.

In a statement, DraftKings confirmed their anticipation to collaborate with both the Illinois Gaming Board and Casino Queen to introduce their legal sports betting product in Illinois.

The SEC processing stipulates that the business access agreement will be valid for a period of 5 to 10 years. In addition, DraftKings, influenced by the executive order from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker that permits customers to register from home, is highly motivated to launch its product as swiftly as possible.

Casino Queen, along with six other Illinois casinos, has been approved for a four-year sports betting master license. The other casinos are as follows:

• Alton’s Argosy Casino
• Casino Grand Victoria
• Aurora Hollywood Casino
• Hollywood Casino in Joliet
• Des Plaines Rivers Casino
• Game Par-A-Dice Lodge

avoiding the penalty box, the & ldquo,

The partnership allows DraftKings to bypass an Illinois law designed to give physical casinos an advantage. If DraftKings had only applied for a $20 million online license, it would have faced an 18-month wait for approval. Jason Robins, CEO of DraftKings, expressed his dissatisfaction with the law on Twitter in June last year, suggesting that the company is being specifically targeted by the law.

It’s promising to see sports betting costs getting approved, but excluding DraftKings and FanDuel is comparable to excluding Uber and Lyft from ride-sharing plans. It’s quite a letdown that Illinois users will be deprived of the best options for 18 months.

Jason Robins tweeted this on June 2, 2019.

Thanks to a workaround, DraftKings can now enter the Illinois market earlier but they will have to share an unspecified part of their gross revenue with Casino Queen. According to branding guidelines, Casino Queen must be prominently featured on DraftKings’ website and app. Consequently, we might see something like “DraftKings Casino Queen Sportsbook” or a “Casino Queen Sportsbook powered by DraftKings”.

Illinois rivals

Currently, BetRivers is the only live betting website in Illinois. BetMGM may soon join the fray. Although FanDuel has not yet secured an exposure agreement in Illinois, it seems likely that they will in time. However, DraftKings appears to be ahead in the race to enter the Illinois market over FanDuel, which would be a significant win for the former.

DraftKings now accepts bets in seven states. Illinois, just slightly less populous than Pennsylvania, is the third largest state in the US to allow sports betting. As such, it is a highly desirable market among the major players.

Eilers & amp, a research firm, in collaboration with Krejcik Gaming & nbsp, are working on projects that might yield $1 billion in yearly sports betting revenue for Illinois.

According to our sister site, Legal Sports Report, DraftKings is currently undergoing regulatory testing and plans to launch online soon after the process is completed in the next few weeks.

Given the expected return of MLB, NBA, DraftKings & rsquo, and NHL in July among others, it is advisable for them to resume operations in Illinois as soon as possible. As the duration of Pritzker & rsquo’s remote sign-up rules is uncertain, it might be beneficial for Illinois to enable registration from home immediately.

Despite the absence of sports, DraftKings’ stock price has seen a rise since it became public. If teams resume as anticipated, it would be intriguing to observe its impact on the business share in Illinois and its future trajectory.