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DraftKings Deal Means Sports Betting Expansion in Illinois

By Amelia Walker Senior Content Writer Updated: 08 July 2020

Amelia Walker Senior Content Writer

Amelia Walker is a Senior Content Writer at Betting.US. She has a law degree and deep knowledge of the gambling laws in the United States. Her mission is to keep players informed about responsible gambling, while her passion for sports helps her create useful guides. Amelia has over a decade of experience in betting, which has positioned her as a trusted voice among our readers.

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A deal has been announced between sportsbook giant DraftKings and Casino Queen in Illinois that will see an expansion in sports betting options in the state. Under the new deal, DraftKings will be able to offer both retail sports betting facilities and online sports betting. This will be under the branding of Casino Queen in East St. Louis.

According to reports, the deal is set to last between 5-10 years, and it should enable the sportsbook operator to avoid the ‘penalty box’ of 18 months, which was brought in for online-only sportsbook operators in the state. At present, no details have been revealed with regard to when the sportsbook will go live.

Part of a Recent Filing

The new deal was included in a recent filing by DraftKings to the Securities and Exchange Commission. This was filed a few weeks ago when DraftKings was looking to sell some stock.

In a statement early last week, officials from DraftKings said:

DraftKings can confirm it has a market access deal with Casino Queen per our recent S-1 filing on June 16, 2020. We look forward to working with both the Illinois Gaming Board and Casino Queen to bring our legal sports betting product to Illinois.

The Illinois Gaming Bill was signed into law last year, and it states that online-only sportsbook operators have to wait for 18 months once the first master license is approved before they are allowed to offer sports betting in Illinois. By teaming up with Casino Queen and operating under its branding, DraftKings is able to avoid this penalty period.

This is because, under the gaming laws, sportsbook operators that are affiliated with casinos or tracks in Illinois do not have to go through the waiting period.

More Competition in the State

The deal between DraftKings and Casino Queen means that there will be more options for sports betting fans in the state. BetRivers launched in the state last month, which makes this the second online sports betting operator to make a deal in Illinois.

The deal also means that bettors will be able to enjoy access to one of the nation’s biggest domestic online sportsbooks.

In addition, those who want to bet on sports in the state no longer have to register at a brick-and-mortar casino as they did in the past. This change came about as a result of COVID-19, which resulted in casinos across the state being closed down in mid-March and bettors therefore being unable to visit them in order to register.

The global pandemic also resulted in the world of live sports coming to a stop, which meant that sports fans had very little to bet on. However, live sports events are starting to make a comeback slowly, so the sportsbook operator will be able to offer a wide range of sports to bet on once it has officially launched.

While DraftKings has not given a specific launch date as yet, it is thought that it aims to have the sportsbook up and running before the return of the NBA and MLB seasons.