Unibet Has Branched Into Illinois Sports Betting Market

• Unibet will now be part of the mobile sportsbooks offered in Illinois through the Argosy Casino Alton.
• The deal includes making Unibet a sports betting provider in Ohio should the legislation pass for the state.

CHICAGO – Through a partnership between the Kindred Group and Penn National Gaming (PNG) announced on Tuesday, Illinois will see a new sportsbook operator make its way into their market with Unibet.

The deal between the two companies will expand into the Ohio market should the Buckeye State legalize sports betting and will include both online and retail platforms. Unibet will be the mobile provider of the Argosy Casino Alton sportsbook in Illinois.

The Loophole For Entering The Illinois Mobile Sports Betting Industry

Presently there are three mobile sportsbooks available in Illinois through BetRivers, DraftKings, and FanDuel. This was not supposed to be the case as the law for the Prairie State says that mobile sports wagering platforms were not allowed to enter the market until 18 months after the industry opened.

However, DraftKings was the first to figure out that if they tethered themselves to a land-based facility they would be able to launch their mobile sportsbook immediately.

Once this information was found out, other operators began to do the same. FanDuel followed behind DraftKings and PointsBet is expected to roll out their application next week. Now Unibet Sportsbook will join them through their ties with Argosy.

Illinois sports betting was made legal in June 2019 and opened the market in March 2020.

While there was a stipulation within the law that required in-person registration to open a mobile sports betting account, Governor J.B. Pritzker lifted that rule and later extended it until September 19 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Sports bettors are now able to open up mobile sportsbook accounts from home until at least that date unless further extensions are made.

Unibet In Illinois And Possibly Ohio

The Prairie State realized in June the significance of mobile sports betting platforms in terms of revenue when retail sportsbooks were unable to provide any due to closures from the outbreak of COVID-19.

Unibet will become the sixth mobile platform in the state for residents to gamble on sports like the NFL this season. Unibet will be utilizing Kambi software, making them the second of the six in the state to do so, with BetRivers being the other. The partnership agreement that extends to Ohio is set for 10 years apiece.

“Extending our footprint in the US by establishing our brand in two key states like Illinois and Ohio is very exciting for us. We continue our journey in what we believe will become the largest gambling market in the world. Putting Illinois and Ohio on the list together with New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Indiana, shows our commitment to establishing Unibet in the US. Illinois is one of the largest US states and it will be the next State that we are targeting to launch”, said Manuel Stan, SVP Kindred US.

The sports betting industry in Illinois continues to grow its operations. With the comeback of sports and more sportsbooks launching, the Prairie State should see a good amount of revenue coming in from the market.

After all, mobile sportsbooks are the most lucrative as their convenience has made them the most popular way to wager on sports nationwide and Unibet has just joined those ranks for Illinoisans everywhere.

Currently, Unibet is available in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Indiana.

News tags: Argosy Casino Alton | BetRivers | Coronavirus pandemic | COVID-19 | DraftKings | FanDuel | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | J.B. Pritzker | Kambi | Kindred Group | Manuel Stan | New Jersey | NFL | Ohio | Penn National Gaming | Pennsylvania | PNG | PointsBet | Unibet