Illinois Sports Betting Remote Registration Extended Again

With the continued rise of coronavirus cases in the Midwest and the U.S., Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker extended remote registration for new sports bettors in the state until Jan. 9.

The previous extension was set to expire Saturday. Executive Order 2020-41 that allows remote registration was re-issued Friday and will now be in effect until at least Jan. 9. It was included in Executive Order 2020-74:

”Executive Order 202-41 is re-issued in its entirety and extended through January 9, 2021.”

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The original remote registration order from Pritzker was issued on June 4. The governor’s previous extension would have ended on Saturday in IL, but suspending the in-person registration requirement for Top Illinois sportsbooks is seen as a health measure.

Illinois health officials on Friday announced 9,420 new COVID-19 cases and 190 more deaths in the state. There were 11,101 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease and 196 deaths on Thursday, according to Illinois Department of Public Health figures.

The state of Illinois implemented Tier 3 restrictions just before Thanksgiving, closing all gaming facilities and casinos beginning Nov. 20. Theaters also had to close while restaurants and bars, museums, health and fitness centers, hotels and other businesses where people gather were given new restrictions, including lower capacity limits.

On July 26, when his original order from June 4 expired, Pritzker decided not to extend Executive Order 2020-41.

But on Aug. 21 he reinstated the order that suspended the in-person registration requirement. He has extended it each month since.

Illinois Sports Betting Numbers Strong

Though Illinois has not released its October sports betting numbers, the state had the fourth-highest sports betting handle in the U.S. in September with a total handle of $305 million.

Midwest states Indiana and Iowa set monthly records for total handle in October and broke those marks for November, according to numbers released this week. Of the record handle reported in Illinois in September, about 93% was from mobile.

September’s total handle in Illinois was a 117.9% increase over the August total of $140 million, and that was with remote registration in place.

Another online option will soon be available to Illinois bettors, especially with remote registration allowed. On Nov. 19, Golden Nugget Online Gaming announced that it had entered into an agreement with Danville Development LLC for market access to Illinois for online sports wagering and iGaming, when it is legalized.