Illinois becomes 11th state offering online sports betting. The advent of sports betting in Illinois was a major week, and although the future of the local horse racing calendar remains uncertain, significant strides were made in terms of the mobile wagering opportunities available to the 12.7 million residents of the State.
Governor J.B. Pritzker took action to expedite the availability of mobile wagering options by suspending a state provision that only permitted the use of online betting applications to those who had previously registered in-person. This suspension came in the form of June 4th’s Executive Order 2020-41, and seven Illinois casinos were granted Master Sports Wagering licenses, a qualification required by the state’s gaming commission to operate as an online sports betting provider.
With Thursday’s launch of BetRivers.com, Rivers Casino became the first operator in the state to offer such digital offerings within the jurisdiction.
Rivers Casino in Des Plaines is owned and operated by Rush Street Gaming, a group that also oversees Rivers Casino Philadelphia and three other Rivers Casino branded properties in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Schenectady, New York. They also were the first to legally offer in-person sports betting in Illinois.
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