Sports Betting Up And Running At Rivers Casino, Other Illinois Venues
Sports Betting Barreling Through The State Like A Tornado

Sports betting has officially launched in the “Land of Lincoln,” and it’s drawing in lots of players. Advocates of sports betting are elated that bets can be placed 24/7 and in time for March Madness.
Sports betting is permissible on all mobile devices and at authorized locations. The Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Ill., is now accepting sports betting after a lot of shaky issues have been resolved. A source said they really weren’t sure that it would launch at the Rivers Casino in time for March Madness, but teams have worked non stop get the issues ironed out in time.
The Governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, signed a sports betting bill into law last summer, making it the 14th state to legalize sports betting. Currently, three casinos have sports betting licenses in Illinois, including the Rivers Casino. However, the state has allocated for up to six casinos to have sports betting.
It’s been a rough road to get sports betting up and running some advocates have said. There was one delay after another, and it has been frustrating for all those that worked on getting the bill passed, including Pritzker.
Are Six Licenses Enough?
Some sports betting advocates do not believe that six licenses in the state are enough. There are close to 13 million people living in Illinois, and that is not an adequate amount of licenses, says a source that wished to remain anonymous.
There are over 500 lottery outlets in the state. Those establishments are eligible to apply for a sports betting license under the terms of the bill. Convention centers, race tracks, and casinos can also apply for a license.
Tanner Freiburg, the CEO of Maxamillions Slot Parlor, said, “I think it will bring a lot of new gamblers into play. There are a lot of people who play slot machines that aren’t necessarily into sports wagering. So you will see a lot of new players enter the market.”
State Representative Norine Hammond told the AP that she thinks the sports betting revenue could bring in over $200 million.
Did Not Approve
Hammond said she did not give the sports betting bill a yes vote, because she doesn’t consider herself an advocate of gambling. She said that the governor and other advocates of sports betting already have a plan of what they want done with the revenue.
Hammond said, “The gaming expansion is the funding to be used for capital funding strictly. That would be used for any buildings owned by the state of Illinois. ”
Hammond said that she is waiting to see what happens with the revenue and how it is used. She is optimistic that it will help the state with improvements that are needed, even though she didn’t vote for it, she wants it to succeed.
Hammond said right now it’s just too early to tell how everything will work with sports betting in the state.