SPORTS BETTING
US – Illinois Gaming Board gives Hard Rock permission to launch Betway sportsbook
By Phil - 31 July 2023
The Illinois Gaming Board considered several regulatory matters during its regularly scheduled meeting yesterday including approval of a sportsbook at the Hard Rock Casino Rockford. The casino must comply with Illinois Gaming Board rules before sports wagering can offered in person or online.
“The Board and staff continue their important work to implement the landmark gaming expansion law and regulate Illinois’ robust and evolving statewide gaming industry in an ethical, transparent, compliant, and efficient manner,” said IGB Administrator Marcus D. Fruchter.
The Illinois Gaming Board also granted more than 230 new gaming licenses and related approvals and issued a license to Hard Rock Casino Rockford and a sports wagering management service provider license.
At the board meeting, the Illinois Gaming Board granted 815 Entertainment, LLC d/b/a Hard Rock Casino Rockford, a sports wagering operator license and granted Seminole Hard Rock Digital LLC licensure as a sports wagering management service provider. It announced Betway as the applicant for an online only sports wagering license under section 25-45 of the Illinois Sports Wagering Act. The application was filed by DGC, which is affiliated in corporate records with Digital Gaming Corp, a recent acquisition of Super Group.
“We are excited to add sports betting as the latest amenity,” Hard Rock Casino Rockford President Geno Iafrate said. “We are very appreciative of the IGB’s hard work and diligence to get us to this point. We still have work to do as we finalize our internal controls and begin hiring and training. We are hopeful to launch sports betting within the next couple of months.”
Plans for the live sportsbook at the temporary casino will see a digital betting menu launched with two betting windows alon with six automated sports betting kiosks. There will also be a bank of televisions with sports programming giving the Rock River Bar & Grill a sports bar feel.
A much larger sportsbook lounge will be opened at the permanent casino site under construction on East State Street.
Illinois is home to 13 casinos, more than 8,400 licensed video gaming establishments and nine sportsbooks. Casino gambling, video gaming and sports wagering generated more than $1.4 billion in tax revenue to the state and local communities in calendar year 2022.
The Illinois Gaming Board serves as the state regulatory and law enforcement agency, overseeing all licensed casino gambling, video gaming and sports wagering to ensure the integrity and safety of gambling while generating revenue for the state and gaming host communities.
