CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Saturday is the last day for Illinois residents to register for mobile sports betting before a new requirement kicks in tomorrow requiring in-person registration at a casino.
In-person registration is part of the gambling law but was waived because the casinos were closed due to the pandemic.
Now that they’re back open, Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office has decided it’s time to end.
The big online-only companies, FanDuel and DraftKings, were required to partner with a brick-and-mortar casino.
And with in-person registration people in the Chicago-area or anywhere else would have to make a trip downstate to join either.
It’s expected the change will help two local sports books operated by Rivers Casino and Hawthorne racetrack.
An industry analyst with Play USA, Dustin Gouker, told the Chicago Sun Times.
“it’s a poor choice,” Gouker said, adding that it “essentially puts the brakes on growth, and will artificially suppress online gaming in Illinois.”
Since March of last year, there have been $1.6 billion in wagers generating $28 million in tax revenue for the state.
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