Illinois Advances Betway Toward Online Sportsbook Permit
Betway is scheduled to be the sole recipient of one out of three online-only operating permits in Illinois, according to a statement made public on Thursday.
There are currently seven online sportsbooks operating in the state, including market leaders DraftKings and FanDuel. Betway would be permitted to operate independently without linking up with any of Illinois' physical racetracks or casinos if it is awarded the online-only license.
The Illinois Gaming Board plans to evaluate Betway's license application in light of the fact that its parent business was the only one to successfully complete the competitive bidding process for the three available permits.
This is the second time Illinois authorities have attempted to distribute the three licenses, each of which costs $20 million for operators. The initial bidding round, which began in August 2021, attracted three applications, but two withdrew and one was disqualified.
Trying Again
It has been reported that Betway was one of the businesses that dropped out of the race during the previous attempt without giving a reason. It's unclear what prompted the company to change its mind this time around. A request for comment from Betway's parent company, Super Group, was not answered promptly on Thursday.
The gaming board restarted its bidding process in November of the previous year after the only remaining candidate at the time withdrew from the running.
Applications were accepted until March of this year, and two businesses initially registered their interest. The other competitor, who was unnamed, withdrew from consideration earlier this month, leaving only Betway in the running. The licensing application was submitted by DGC IL LLC, which is linked in corporate records to Digital Gaming Corp., a recent acquisition of Super Group.
If Betway is given the green light, Illinois would become the ninth state where the firm conducts operations. Betway currently provides sports wagering in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Virginia, as well as both casino and sportsbook offerings in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Illinois boasts one of the largest sports betting markets in the US. In May, the most recent month for which statistics are available, Illinois sportsbooks took in almost $822 million in bets, with 97 percent of those placed online, based on data obtained from the gaming board.
Hard Rock Gets License
Also at Thursday's meeting, the Illinois Gaming Board gave the green light to an initial master sports wagering license for 815 Entertainment, LLC, who operate as Hard Rock Casino Rockford. This approval paves the way for the establishment of a new sportsbook at the property.
Seminole Hard Rock Digital LLC was approved for an initial management services provider license at the same board meeting.
Since 2020, the Hard Rock has been functioning as a temporary casino while building a larger, permanent facility that will open next year.
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Source: www.casino.org
