Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has once more prolonged the period for mobile sports betting registration, now set to last until at least March 6th.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person membership has not been available since August.
Illinois has risen to become the fourth largest sports betting state in the US, with the Land of Lincoln reporting a $449.2 million handle in November. It is on track to potentially surpass Pennsylvania for the third spot in the coming months.
Pritzker shut down Illinois casinos for approximately two months from November to January, but they have all since reopened with differing levels of operation.
The statewide COVID-19 outlook is getting better as the case positivity rate has dropped to 3.4%, down from 13.2% in mid-November.
While this is great news for Illinois residents, does it suggest that online sports betting registration may be temporarily suspended?
This is what we know.
The deadline for in-person register was generally set for the fall.
If all had gone as planned, the in-person membership was intended to last for 18 months.
With the inception of sports gambling in March, September 2021 marks the 18th month milestone.
It has been about seven months since that date occurred.
Despite that, there are several reasons to support the idea that online subscriptions will persist.
To start, there have been no issues with wireless subscriptions in Illinois. The current system, which has been implemented for some time, is generating significantly more revenue for the state compared to reverting to in-person registration.
Furthermore, despite the positive trend in Illinois’ COVID-19 situation, it appears somewhat unusual to mandate in-person attendance at games in order to participate in betting activities. This could be seen as presumptuous, to say the least.
New, highly contagious COVID-19 variants may become the predominant strain in the US by March. Although the speed of vaccine distribution is increasing, it would be reckless to mandate that individuals visit a casino in order to register for sports betting, given the evolving circumstances.
Thirdly, BetRivers has consistently been the strongest advocate for in-person registration. Despite this, BetRivers recently reported a November handle of $133.2 million and has solidified its position as a leading competitor in the Illinois sports betting market.
Simply put, having in-person membership is unlikely to benefit the company currently. While this may not have always been the case, it is the reality now.
When will Illinois see the arrival of new users?
This appears to be an incentive for new Illinois users to begin immediately.
Barstool may be the next in line, with Penn National Gaming CEO Jay Snowden targeting Illinois as the company’s next market. They are aiming to launch their operations in the Prairie State by March Madness.
In the first half of 2021, we can expect the launch of the BetMGM app and Unibet as well.
Illinois has had only five online operators since mid-September, but with the high demand for sports betting in the state, there is ample opportunity for additional operators to succeed.
Having said that, DraftKings, BetRivers, and FanDuel collectively accounted for 92% of the November handle. It will be challenging for any other company to break into the top three positions at this time.
However, there is still potential for profit to be gained. Furthermore, heightened competition often benefits the consumer.
