Illinois Sports Bettors Have Until Midnight to Register for Accounts Online, as State Will Again Require In-Person Registration

Illinois Sports Bettors Have Until Midnight to Register for Accounts Online, as State Will Again Require In-Person Registration article feature image
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For the past 53 days, Illinois has allowed anyone in the state to sign up for sports betting accounts online, temporarily suspending an in-person registration requirement.

That's going away at 11:59 p.m. CST on Sunday, as Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker did not re-issue Executive Order 2020-41.

BetRivers has been the lone sportsbook operating in the state during this time.

Here's what this means for Illinois sports bettors:

  • If you haven't created a BetRivers account online yet, now is your last chance. Once the clock strikes midnight, in-person registration will once again be required in the state, meaning you'll have to go into a casino to open an online sports betting account. To avoid that hassle, sign up for an account online before midnight.
  • If you've already created a BetRivers account, you are all set. You can continue betting online. This change simply applies to account creation.

Gov. Pritzker's decision to not re-issue his Executive Order came a day after DraftKings formalized its deal to buy the Casino Queen in East St. Louis, Ill.

DraftKings did this to essentially get around what had been termed an 18-month "penalty box" for its daily fantasy operations within the state, which former state attorney general Lisa Madigan interpreted as illegal.

And while DraftKings' purchase of the Casino Queen will allow the now-publicly-traded company to enter the Illinois market earlier than expected, it won't do near the volume it was expecting now that in-person registration is once again required.

This also serves as a big blow to other operators such as FanDuel, PointsBet and William Hill, which were hoping to launch online operations in the state in the coming weeks.

Both FanDuel and DraftKings had begun advertising in the state, with DK offering anyone in Illinois $100 just to create an account.

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