By
Blake Roberts
Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 12 April 2021
Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief
Blake Roberts is the founder of Betting.US and is currently heading the creative team as Editor in Chief. Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Blake is a great sports fan, with football and basketball being his favorite. He’s our trusted voice for all betting-related matters.
Over the past year, sports fans in Illinois have been able to enjoy the convenience of remote registration for sports betting accounts. This was put into place by way of an executive order from the state governor, J.B. Pritzker.
While the order was only meant to be short-term during the early stages of the pandemic when casinos and other venues were closed, it was extended a number of times by the governor. However, the order has now come to an end, sparking concerns over how it will impact sports betting in the state.
When the need to register in-person for a sports betting account was waived by the governor, it was at a time when the first wave of the pandemic was tearing through the country. This resulted in businesses being closed, including casinos and retail sportsbooks. However, people could still use mobile sportsbooks to place wagers.
As such, the governor waived the need to register in person by going to a casino, which meant that the online sports betting market was able to continue despite the pandemic. Even when the world of live sports had to be closed down for a period, online sportsbook operators offered a range of alternatives on which users could place bets.
It is now claimed that the precaution of registering online is no longer needed because casinos are open, there is no stay-at-home order in place, and venues already have social distancing measures in place. In addition, the vaccination program is underway, and this means that people are quickly receiving protection across the state.
A spokesperson for the governor’s office recently released a statement that read:
Illinois is currently in phase four with vaccination rates rapidly increasing and casinos around the state have reopened with safety guidelines in place, so the suspension of in-person sports betting registration requirements is no longer needed.
The move comes as a disappointment to many sports betting fans as well as sportsbook operators, as many felt that the ability to register online was having a big positive impact on the industry.
The cancellation of mobile registration means that those who want to set up an account will have to go through a lot of inconvenience before they can start placing bets.
For many, this signifies putting the brakes on the growth of online sports betting in the state. Some of the major online-only operators could really feel the impact of the need to register in person.
One industry official said that business for sportsbooks had been booming over the past year because of the ability to register online. Mobile and online gambling and sports betting has become hugely popular since the outbreak of the pandemic, and the executive order made it much easier for people to enjoy this form of entertainment.
He went on to say that the need to register in person had essentially put the brakes on the growth of the sports betting market in Illinois.
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