BetRivers Sportsbook Kicks Off Illinois Sports Betting

By Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 20 June 2020

Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief

Blake Roberts is the founder of Betting.US and is currently heading the creative team as Editor in Chief. Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Blake is a great sports fan, with football and basketball being his favorite. He’s our trusted voice for all betting-related matters.

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It was recently reported that the Illinois Gaming Board had given approval to seven casinos across the state to offer online sports betting. The Governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, lifted the rule relating to in-person registration earlier this month, and the gaming board then approved the seven casinos for Master Sports Wagering licenses.

Back in March when the sports betting market launched in the state, the BetRivers sportsbook at the Rivers Casino Des Plaines was the first retail sportsbook to accept bets.

BetRivers has now led the way again, after launching its BetRivers online sportsbook and kickstarting online sports betting in Illinois. The move means that residents of the state who are aged 21 and over can now place bets via their mobile devices and computers.

Just in Time for the Return of Sports

Sportsbook operators in the state are excited to be able to offer online sports betting just as live sports are making a comeback. Live sports events were put on hold in the middle of March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have only recently started to make a gradual comeback.

In addition, brick-and-mortar casinos were also closed around the same time, remaining closed for three months and making it impossible for people to register for sports betting accounts in person. This then led to the state Governor lifting the rule regarding in-person registration.

The Rush Street Interactive BetRivers sportsbook went live in the state at the start of this week. The president of Rush Street Interactive, Richard Schwartz, said:

We are excited to make history in bringing the first online sportsbook to sports fans in our home state just in time as American sports are coming back into action.

He added that although sports betting opportunities were still limited at the moment, the sportsbook still planned to offer exciting opportunities for bettors. Schwartz went on to say that bettors could look forward to excellent customer service, speedy payouts, and a friendly, honest approach.

Emerging from the COVID-19 Lockdown

Like all other states across the country, the COVID-19 lockdown has had a huge impact on Illinois, with many businesses, including retail sportsbooks, being forced to close.

By allowing mobile sports betting, state officials hope to be able to recoup some of the financial losses stemming from the lockdown. Handle and revenue were further impacted in the state due to the shutdown of live sports events around the world because of the virus.

Now that the world of live sports has started to make a comeback, and with casinos across the country starting to open, things are slowly starting to get back to normal. Officials in Illinois acknowledge that the financial recovery process will be a slow one though.

However, many hope that with mobile sports betting now available to those in Illinois, this could help to speed up the recovery and generate more revenue for the state.

The state has already managed to make $40 million in fees by issuing the mobile sports betting licenses to the seven state casinos.