Reversal Of Fortune: Gov. Pritzker Resumes State’s In-Person Registration Requirement

Days before DraftKings Sportsbook was allegedly set to start accepting online wagers in Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker ended the temporary suspension of the in-person registration requirement.

The timing of the turnaround, which coincides with the opening of Rivers Casino in Des Plaines and another brick-and-mortar gambling establishments, is intriguing.

What & rsquo, are you okay with the return of the requirement for in-person registration?

All Illinois bettors who haven’t registered at an online casino as of 12:01 a.m. will need to return to the state’s corresponding casino, off-track betting site, or racetrack to perfect their account registrations.

Pritzker suspended that requirement in early June. At that time, all the state’s casinos were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Rivers and other casinos weren’t collecting any revenue.

Pritzker’s move changed that for Rivers Casino. Within days, BetRivers, the online sportsbook — operated by the same parent company as the casino— began taking wagers.

Since then, BetRivers has been the only option for Illinoisans for legal online sports betting. That was set to change, however. DraftKings was on the verge of becoming a threat to BetRivers IL.

aggressive play by DraftKings & rsquo to enter Illinois

For DraftKings in the Prairie State, July has been a busy calendar month.

Early in the month, the operator announced a market-access deal with the Casino Queen in East St. Louis. Just over a week ago, the IL Gaming Board approved DraftKings’ management services provider permit.

Then last week, DraftKings announced its branding would become central to the East St. Louis property, incorporating its name into the casino’s title. That was crucial because the state’s emergency sports betting regulations require the facility name to be primary in the branding of online sportsbooks.

When the week was over, it appeared that DraftKings was moving quickly toward going live electronically in Illinois. In fact, the sportsbook was already promoting a$ 100 bonus wager for Illinois residents who opened new accounts.

It appeared that the Illinois Gaming Board ( IGB ) was the only entity DraftKings was awaiting to grant Casino Queen its master license.

Things for Sportsbook are much less sure now that Pritzker lifted the expulsion on Sunday.

DraftKings is starting over from scratch.

DraftKings & rsquo, all of your work is not lost. If and when the IGB issues the king passport to Casino Queen, it can still provide online and retail sports wagering.

However, any new DraftKings customer must second drive to East St. Louis and go to the game in order to place bets on the app or website.

DraftKings must so make a choice. Does it hold off on selling spending until the requirement for in-person registration expires? When the IGB publishes the first of three online-only troubles, it comes to an end. certificates, which are available 540 time after March 9, 2020.

The personal and political ties between Pritzker, Rivers, and DraftKings & rsquo’s decision to disregard a warning five years ago make this situation even more intriguing.

Pritzker & rsquo’s connections to Rivers and how it benefits the casino

Pritzker & rsquo’s ties to the Rivers are well known.

Neil Bluhm is the CEO of Rush Street Gaming, which operates Rivers. In 2018, Bluhm’s daughter and ex-wife donated a total of $110,000 to Pritzker’s election campaign.

DraftKings’ entrance into IL may include put BetRivers up against some fierce competition. It is well known that DraftKings & rsquo is a dominant player in the sports betting sector, particularly due to its capacity to operate profitably.

Plans for DraftKings & rsquo are thrown off course when the in-person registration requirement is reinstated. Additionally, it guarantees that BetRivers is Illinois’ sole legitimate online betting. Additionally, it ensures that only BetRivers will profit from the temporary interruption.

However, despite the harm this action causes DraftKings & rsquo, there is a caveat to immediate ambitions. In 2015, DraftKings & ldquo made its bed, and it appears that Pritzker is continuing to do so.

DraftKings earlier disregarded AG DFS advice.

In 2015, then-IL Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued an opinion that should have affected DraftKings. DraftKings chose to ignore it, however.

According to Madigan, DraftKings & rsquo, a brand of daily fantasy contests, was illegal gambling in her interpretation of the law. DraftKings continued to accept paid entries in Illinois despite the publication of the mind.

That choice undoubtedly contributed to Illinois & rsquo’s most recent expansion of gambling. The goal of the in-person registration requirement and the waiting time for online-only certification was to retaliate against DraftKings.

With its most recent activity, DraftKings appeared to essentially avoid that & ldquo, penalty box. Pritzker & rsquo’s move is actually something the business should have anticipated, in all honesty.

By continuing to accept DFS comments, DraftKings not merely disregarded the advice of the best law enforcement officer in Illinois, but it also turned into a formidable foe five years ago. Mike Madigan, the IL Speaker of the House, is the mother.

Pritzker & rsquo’s backing of the senior Madigan is also simple to discern.

Shortly after assuming office, Pritzker donated over $7 million out of his personal funds to Madigan’s reelection campaign.

It’s possible that payment paved the way for the gaming expansion law. It might have also sealed DraftKings & rsquo’s fate.

Pritzker & rsquo’s choice comes at a reasonable time, as casinos in Illinois are once more open. The decision to reinstate the in-person authorization, however, is about more than just whether Rivers has staff available to examine drivers’ andrsquo licenses.