FanDuel Positioned To Be Third Mobile Sportsbook In Illinois

FanDuel looks like they will be the third mobile sportsbook to open up in Illinois with the help of the Par-A-Dice Casino.
Paperwork is currently being processed so that the sports betting operator will be able to launch in time for the start of the NFL season.

EAST PEORIA, Ill. – Sports bettors in Illinois should be getting their third mobile sportsbook option in the state before the start of NFL season with FanDuel and its partnership with Par-A-Dice Casino in East Peoria.

The Prairie State is already home to two mobile sports betting operators with BetRivers and DraftKings. Having FanDuel enter the game gives Illinoisans two of the top sportsbooks within the industry (the other being DraftKings) to access when wagering on sporting events.

FanDuel And Par-A-Dice Casino

On August 19, the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) received the proper paperwork from Par-A-Dice Casino to launch a mobile sportsbook through FanDuel. Typically, the IGB approves the licenses for such applications in two to three weeks which would allow FanDuel to roll out to the public of Illinois sports bettors no later than September 9. This aligns perfectly with the beginning of the NFL schedule with the Chicago Bears season opener occurring on September 13 against the Detroit Lions.

It should be noted that the casino did not apply for a land-based sports betting venue within their establishment, only the mobile and internet option at this time.

And Governor J.B. Pritzker has once again waived the in-person registration for mobile betting so FanDuel can have members from the Prairie State sign up for an account from home or wherever they are by using their mobile devices to begin placing bets immediately.

Like with DraftKings and the Casino Queen, now known as DraftKings at Casino Queen because of their partnership, FanDuel can add their name to the Boyd Gaming owned Par-A-Dice Casino through their deal if they wanted to.

They could change the name to Par-A-Dice Sportsbook Powered By FanDuel or something similar as the casino would get top billing in this particular case due to the terms of the agreement already in place.

In previous talks with the Fairmount Race Course before their deal with Par-A-Dice, FanDuel was going to rebrand the race track as “FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing.” This is likely to happen as there is no set number of sportsbooks that one operator can have in the state of Illinois.

The sports betting conglomerate is still on track to acquire the Fairmount Race Course and rebrand it with their name as part of that partnership deal.

Mobile Sports Betting In Illinois Keeps Getting Bigger

The mobile sports betting market in Illinois continues to grow as companies have realized they do not need to wait the 18 months stipulated within the law to launch their platforms.

However, this can only be done if they tether themselves to a retail location and DraftKings was the first sportsbook to realize this and take advantage of the situation in order to get their foot in the door in the Illinois sports betting market.

FanDuel is now following in their biggest competitor’s footsteps. More sportsbook operations are slated to do the same in the future but for now, it looks as though sports bettors in Illinois will have three mobile and internet sports wagering platforms to utilize when gambling on the Chicago Bears this NFL season.

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Christina Monroe

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.