Until recently, sports betting was illegal in most of the United States. In 2018, sports betting was legalized as part of a larger capital bill. This allowed bettors to place wagers on major American professional sports like baseball, football, basketball and hockey.
The ol’ horseshoe: The first legal Illinois sportsbook opened at the Rivers Casino in March of 2020. Another one will open later this year at the Grand Victoria. The state is already home to several professional sports teams, including the Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls and Chicago Cubs. It is no surprise that sports betting is popular in Illinois.
The most popular days to bet are Sundays, which are the days of the week that see the most action in professional football. The NFL is the most popular sport in the country, with most games taking place over a series of different days of the week.
The ol’ horseshoe: As with any state, the best betting locations are close to home. For example, Caesars Sportsbook is available at Grand Victoria Casino and Par-A-Dice Casino, while the FanDuel Sportsbook is found at Par-A-Dice Casino.
The ol’ horseshoe: Illinois sports betting is currently legal, and it is available to anyone who is at least 21 years old. In addition to brick and mortar betting, bettors can also place wagers on sports events via mobile apps. In the future, Illinois sportsbooks will be able to offer players state-wide mobile betting.
The most notable sports bet of all is the PGA TOUR’s new “Hawthorne Sportsbook,” which is slated to open in Hawthorne, Illinois, in November of 2018. The PGA TOUR has also partnered with IMG ARENA to license live scoring data, Genius Sports to manage the event’s social media presence, and the Par-A-Dice Casino to provide a virtual sports book.