Pritzker Extends Mobile Sports Betting Registration Until February

Illinois Governor On Friday, JB Pritzker expanded mobile sports betting membership once more.

This executive order renewal will last until at least Feb. 6. The announcement may feel a bit like Groundhog Day, and based on what we’ve seen, it’s hard to envision a return to in-person registration any time soon.

Due to the ongoing COVID – 19 pandemic, website enrollment has been in place since August 2020.

Pritzker closed all 10 Illinois games in November in an effort to stop the virus’s unfold. Positive numbers have changed since then, but they are also a problem for Illinis andrsquo.

Once the Illinois casinos reopen, a return to in-person registration is more plausible. Until then, it is impossible, barring a drastic structural change.

When did casinos in Illinois reopen?

Illinois is currently in Tier 3 of its Resurgence Mitigation Plan. In order for Illinois casinos to reopen, it would need to return to Tier 2.

There, casinos could operate at 25% capacity and close no later than 11 p.m.

Areas may maintain a COVID – 19 enthusiasm rate below 8 % for an extended period of time in order to return to Tier 2.

As of now, Illinois’ statewide positivity rate is 8.4%. While that’s an improvement of about five points since November, it’s slowly creeping up again after falling to 6.8% on Dec. 27.

However, once gambling reopen, in-person membership is also improbable.

When Pritzker after once allowed online sign-ups in late August, the positivity rate was less than 5 %. And even if we reach that point, it’s still unclear whether we & rsquo will ever resume in-person registration.

The 18-month membership period, which includes the penalty box and rdquo, expires in the fall of 2021, and online registration seems to be going well.

It’s certainly been a boon to the industry, as Illinois recorded $434.6 million in October handle, the No. 4 mark in the US. The November revenue report could surpass $500 million, and the numbers wouldn’t be near that high with in-person registration.

Will Illinois receive a fresh Barstool?

We haven’t seen a new online sportsbook in Illinois since William Hill in September 2020.

BetMGM, Unibet and Barstool have indicated that they plan to launch in the Land of Lincoln in 2021. As of this writing, BetMGM and Unibet are pending applicants.

Unibet is the most possible of those three to launch first because it has no administrative obstacles to overcome. Only the Illinois Gaming Board‘s approval is required.

BetMGM Illinois sportsbook still needs FanDuel’s license transfer to its horse track to become official. That would allow BetMGM to partner with Par-A-Dice Casino.

Illinois must be an appealing business to operators because online registration figures will be in place for at least a few more months.

Illinois sportsbooks profited $42.2 million in October, with three operators (BetRivers, DraftKings and FanDuel) raking in eight-figures.

The Illinois activities gambling industry is one of COVID-19’s some positive aspects.