Monday March 9th is the official launch of sports betting in ‘The Land Of Lincoln.’ After a lot of wrangling by all sides of the sports betting issue, the Rivers Casino in Des Plaines Illinois are getting ready to usher in a new industry, legalized sports betting.
This news comes after the state lawmakers signed a bill that legalized sports betting in the state. A lot of states are finding that even though sports betting is legal, sometimes it takes a while for it to actually be up and running.
The Illinois Gambling Board granted the final approval or the casino to launch their own sportsbook. The large casino is close to 5000 square feet, the sports betting will be in a designated area inside the casino, which is located off of Interstate 294.
There are six casinos in Illinois including Rivers that applied for coveted sports betting license. Legalized sports betting is covered under the ‘Illinois Sports Wagering Act.’ Sports betting is part of a gambling overhaul the state has been going through since June of 2019.
Casinos In Illinois Have Been Trying To Launch Sports Betting Before March Madness
The casinos that have been granted sports betting licenses have been doing everything within their power to launch before March Madness. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is one of the most popular sporting events in the state. To begin with, sports betting will only be available inside the casino. The sportsbook is currently finalizing their sports betting app, which will allow players to place bets online and on mobile devices.
According to the Rivers Casino, the sports betting app will be ready before the NFL season starts. The sports betting at the casino is powered by BetRivers and will be open for business at noon on Monday.
The casino is pulling out all the stops to do the launch in gigantic fashion. There will be a ceremony at 10:00 on Monday. The staff and officials at the casino were getting ready for the Monday launch on Friday. A source said with sports betting launching, there are few job openings now at the casino, ‘it’s going to be a good day for everyone.’
Chicago Blackhawks TV Analysts Eddie Olzyk Will Place The First Sports Bet At The Rivers
Patrick Skarr a spokesman for the Rivers Casino, said the sports bets will be taken on all American sporting events, and collegiate events, and some international sporting events. Skarr said there are some restrictions that are currently in place on some local sporting events. There are also no sports bets allowed on any horse races.
Many players in the casino on Friday said they have been anxiously awaiting sports betting to start. Several said they were glad it will be up and running in time for March Madness which starts March 17th. The casino has added a large sports betting lounge with a 47 foot video screen. There are five sports betting windows at the casino and 30 kiosks.
