The political influence in Illinois sports betting Remember in June how Illinois decided to allow remote registration for online sports book users? Less than two months after lifting a mandate that required in-person registration however, temporary Illinois governor JB Pritzker has now reversed course. The governor issued a new gubernatorial disaster proclamation reissuing several executive orders. Illinois sports betting not among them. He was praised in early June and for good reason by allowing voters to register for online accounts remotely it did come at a time when the coronavirus pandemic had forced casinos to close, finishing that registration process was not really going to happen. Regardless that’s all out the window now.
Remote registration is going for now but being able to play won’t be for another year and a half. Pritzker’s decision to take the in-person registration appeared to be a major hurdle for rising legal sports betting power. DraftKings which seemed ready to launch its online sports book, only to be beaten to the punch near days by the governor’s recent announcement. DraftKings is licensed, but its casino partner casino Queen, was still waiting a certificate. It was also a major victory for the DFS giant which along with Fandel had long squared off against River’s parent company Rush Street Interactive.
That rivalry goes back quite a ways. Back to it DraftKings and FanDuel offered DFS contests despite a 2015 attorney general opinion declaring them illegal in Illinois. Then they went toe to toe again last year when the state was drafting rules and regulations for the state sports betting industry. During this time rush street tried its darndest to keep DraftKings and FanDuel from entering Illinois. Despite all of these obstacles DraftKings has found a way to go live in the land of Lincoln .Draft Kings basically had to accomplish one of two things to launch a mobile sportsbook wait 18 months after online wagering begins in Illinois and then bid for a $20,000,000 untethered license or partner with an existing casino and launch under that properties brand.
They found a partner casino Queen but if an online book was desired it needed to be under the casino Queen brand. The solution was to have the casino rebranded. No official timeline has been announced for its own launch. Switching gears to a state that has gone the other way in terms of registration Rhode Island has opened the door for remote signups previously the state required people to visit one of its two twin River casinos to complete the signup process for an online account. Governor Regina Raimondo would sign off on two bills that took away that restriction and within a month, bettors can do it all from the comfort of their own homes.
