Pritzker Extends Mobile Sports Betting Registration Until February

In an attempt to halt the spread of the virus, Pritzker shut down all 10 games in Illinois in November. Since then, there has been a shift in the positive numbers, but this continues to pose issues for the residents of Illinois.

A return to in-person registration at Illinois casinos is more plausible once they reopen. However, until that happens, it remains impossible unless there is a significant structural change.

When did casinos in Illinois reopen?

Currently, Illinois is in Tier 3 of its Resurgence Mitigation Plan. For the casinos in Illinois to reopen, the state would need to move back to Tier 2.

In that location, casinos were allowed to function at 25% capacity and had to shut down by 11 p.m. at the latest.

In order to return to Tier 2, areas may need to keep the COVID-19 positivity rate under 8% for a prolonged period.

The current positivity rate in Illinois is 8.4%, a five-point improvement from November. However, after dropping to 6.8% on Dec. 27, it’s gradually beginning to rise again.

However, when gambling reopens, it’s also unlikely that in-person membership will resume.

When Pritzker allowed online sign-ups in late August, the positivity rate was below 5%. However, even if we reach that point again, it remains uncertain whether we will ever resume in-person registration.

The 18-month membership period that includes access to the penalty box and rdquo is set to expire in fall 2021. Registration for this appears to be proceeding successfully online.

The industry has undoubtedly benefited, with Illinois recording a handle of $434.6 million in October, ranking fourth in the US. The revenue report for November could exceed $500 million, figures that would not be nearly as high with in-person registration.

Will Illinois receive a fresh Barstool?

Since William Hill in September 2020, there has been no new online sportsbook in Illinois.

BetMGM, Unibet, and Barstool have signaled their intentions to commence operations in the Land of Lincoln in 2021. At the time of writing, BetMGM and Unibet are still waiting for their applications to be approved.

Of the three, Unibet is most likely to launch first as it has no administrative hurdles to clear. It only needs the approval of the Illinois Gaming Board.

For BetMGM Illinois sportsbook to officially partner with Par-A-Dice Casino, it still requires the transfer of FanDuel’s license to its horse track.

Operators must find Illinois an attractive business location as online registration figures will continue to be in place for several more months.

In October, Illinois sportsbooks made a profit of $42.2 million, with three operators (BetRivers, DraftKings and FanDuel) earning in the tens of millions.

One of the few positive outcomes of COVID-19 is the growth of the sports gambling industry in Illinois.