Illinois Gaming Board Renews Seven Retail Sports Betting Licenses

Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter renewed seven sports betting licenses for retail sportsbooks on Thursday. This marks the first time the licenses have been renewed since the state operators began accepting wagers in March 2020.

Argosy Casino Alton, Hollywood Casino Aurora were among the operators issued a renewed sports betting license

The gaming expansion bill was signed into law by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker in June 2019 that legalized sports betting. Fruchter granted four-year license renewals through June 2028 to the following casinos: Argosy Casino Alton, DraftKings at Casino Queen in East St. Louis, Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, Hollywood Casino Aurora, Hollywood Casino Joliet, Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, and Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino in East Peoria.

There are nine terminal operators that are currently pending applicants for a gaming license: AARUSH Gaming, LLC, Blue Ridge Gaming LLC, Chicagoland Gaming Inc., Ella Gaming LLC, Game Gurus LLC, Rise2Shine Gaming LLC, TJ IL Investments LLC, TJTL Ventures LLC, and Traayo Gaming LLC.

According to the Sports Wagering Act (230 ILCS 45), the organization licensee may renew the master sports wagering license for a period of four years by paying a $1,000,000 renewal fee to the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB).

Illinois has seven licensed sportsbooks

Moreover, renewal of a supplier license is granted to a renewal applicant who has continued to comply with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. Beginning four years after issuance of the initial supplier license, a holder of a supplier license is required to pay a $150,000 annual license fee.

In addition to DraftKings, six other sportsbooks are available to gamblers in the state: BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars, ESPN BET, Fanatics, and FanDuel.

Retail sports betting has generated $1.12 billion in total handle in Illinois. The state has collected $105 million through the first three months of 2024 as well. Operators have recoded an 8.9% hold in almost four years of accepting wagers. Plus, the bookies have claimed $99.5 million in adjusted gross sports betting revenue.

Illinois has 15 overall retail sports betting locations. The DraftKings at Wrigley Field is the most recent venue to open in March. The Prairie State also has 11 casino-based retail sportsbooks, three are located at off-track betting locations licensed to Hawthorne Race Course.