Illinois Gaming Authority Grants Hard Rock Permission for Sports Betting Licenses
Pumping Up the Illinois Sports Betting Scene
Summer's heating up in Illinois with the Gaming Board giving a green light to Hard Rock for both mobile and retail licenses, and Betway bagging the lone online-only wagering license.
Last month's meeting saw approval for a retail wagering license for Full House Resorts, with Circa Sports handling both retail and mobile betting. Circa projects launching around September's NFL regular season opener, according to Jeffrey Benson, Director of Operations on Twitter.
Hard Rock, with its revamped mobile app now named Hard Rock Bet, still needs to request the IGB to commence wagering after securing the Management Services Provider license for sports wagering. The IGB backdated Hard Rock Casino Rockford's four-year Master Sports Wagering license to January to match the casino license's approval date.
Geno Iafrate, President of Hard Rock Casino Rockford, expressed excitement about the addition of sports betting and acknowledged the hard work put in by the IGB. However, he mentioned more work is required before the launch, with a tentative date set a couple of months away.
Betway, initially a withdrawer in the initial review process last year, emerged triumphant with a $22.5 million bid for the license. The IGB approved Betway, but the operator still needs to go through the board's full vetting process before getting the Master Sports Wagering license. J&J LLC, a gaming company and subsidiary of J&J Ventures, submitted a bid of just over $23 million but withdrew its application in July, leaving Betway as the sole bidder.
Illinois' vibrant sports betting market, ranked in the top five post-PASPA, is about to witness more action as additional operators, such as Circa and Hard Rock Bet, gear up for football season. While Illinois might not overtake New York's monthly handle crown due to population differences, the impending arrival of new operators could lead to record monthly handle grow. Illinois hit the $1 billion handle mark for the first time in October 2020, a milestone that could be surpassed with more operators joining the scene.
Intriguing Info:
- As of 2025, Illinois has ten mobile sports betting operators, including popular brands like BetMGM, FanDuel, and Caesars, according to recent updates.
- New York has had a similar number of mobile sports betting operators, but the landscape might have changed since early 2022.
- A new tax structure in Illinois could influence how sportsbooks operate, with a per-wager tax of 25 cents for the first 20 million bets and 50 cents thereafter. In contrast, New York relies on a revenue-based tax model, potentially shaping the development of sports betting markets differently in each state.
The upcoming launch of Circa Sports' retail and mobile betting services, projected around the NFL regular season opener in September, adds excitement to the Illinois sports betting market. Hard Rock Bet, with its recently secured management services provider license for sports wagering, will soon request the IGB to initiate wagering after revamping their mobile app.
