FanDuel has become the third operator to launch a sports betting app in the state of Illinois.
On Friday, FanDuel became the third mobile sports betting operator to launch a mobile betting product in the state of Illinois, joining DraftKings and BetRivers.
The FanDuel sportsbook app
On 19 August, FanDuel’s partner in Illinois, Par-A-Dice Casino, submitted paperwork to the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) indicating it was ready to launch online betting only, however, the venue had already been granted a sports betting licence in June.
Due to the co-branding rules in Illinois, FanDuel’s app is known as the “FanDuel Par-A-Dice Sportsbook” app. FanDuel’s app is available on both iOS and Android devices.
Mike Raffensperger, CMO of FanDuel Group, said: “We have been waiting for this day for quite some time. Sports are back, so we are going to show sports fans in Illinois an innovative sports betting app experience with industry-leading promotions and consumer protections that have made FanDuel the #1 sportsbook in the US.”
FanDuel changes approach to launch in Illinois
With the launch of the online sportsbook, FanDuel has managed to quickly pivot from its original plan of entering Illinois via the Fairmount Park horse racing track.
FanDuel had been in talks to purchase the racetrack as far back as March and had even submitted a name change of “FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing” to the Illinois Secretary of State in January.
The racetrack has yet to complete its application process for a sports betting licence with the IGB.
Capitalising on remote registration
This comes after Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker reinstated an executive order suspending the in-person registration requirement for online sports betting accounts in the state of Illinois, last week.
This means that bettors in the state will be able to create online sports betting accounts remotely from anywhere within the state without having to visit one of the state’s land-based casino sportsbooks. This is a massive benefit to Illinois residents as it eliminates the needless health risks that come with travelling to one of the state’s casinos during the coronavirus pandemic.
The remote registration order will remain in place until 19 September at the earliest. This order was originally introduced on 4 June and was meant to stay in place as long as Illinois’ Gubernational Disaster Proclamations were in place.
The initial proclamation ended on 26 July after casinos in the state reopened at 50% capacity on 1 July. However, at the same time, Pritzker did not reinstate the remote registration order.
Sportsbook operators will also benefit from being able to market their online sportsbook platforms to everyone in the state and acquire a wider pool of customers
Sports betting in Illinois
In July 2019, Pritzker signed Illinois’ gambling expansion bill into law, making Illinois the fifth state to legalize sports betting in 2019. As well as legalizing sports betting, the bill allowed for the launch of six new land-based casinos and a large casino venue in Chicago.
The Illinois sports betting market went live on 9 March with the launch of a BetRivers-branded sportsbook at Rivers Casino Des Plaines. Online sports betting went live in the state when BetRivers launched its online sports betting platform on 18 June through Rivers Casino des Plaines.
In early August, DraftKings became the second online operator to launch in the state of Illinois.
