A major international sportsbook is making its way into the Illinois sports betting market.
The Illinois Gaming Board announced last week that bet365 was approved for a license for Illinois sports betting.
Bet365 partnered with Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort. The two entities will work together for an in-person and online sportsbook.
Bet365 grows sports betting footprint
Illinois will be the 12th state for bet365, one of the largest sportsbooks in the world. The UK-based sportsbook largely waited on the sidelines during the first few years of US sports betting but has since expanded its presence.
Last year, it opened in five new states prior to the NFL betting season. This season, it debuted in another six new markets before the football season.
Bet365 states:
Bet365 is also available in Ontario.
Illinois sports betting landscape
The IGB also issued its 16th casino license last week to the Wind Creek Casino. Bet365 is the 15th sports betting license issued. In August, Hard Rock Bet began taking wagers in Illinois.
Legal Illinois sports betting launched in March 2020 and has generated $41.3 billion in handle and $3.4 billion in sports betting revenue.
DraftKings is the top sportsbook in the state, taking $4 billion in wagers through October this year. FanDuel was a close second, handling $3.7 billion. BetRivers was a distant third with $686 million in bets.
Changing rules situation in Illinois
Earlier this year, Gov. JB Pritzker signed the state budget into law, altering the sports betting tax rate. It went from 15% to a tiered system ranging from 20% to 40%.
This fall, the IGB adopted new advertising rules to increase responsible gambling in the state.
With sports betting well entrenched in Illinois, lawmakers will likely continue discussing an expansion into online casino gambling. Rep. Edgar Gonzalez filed a bill this year that did not see action, but he will likely renew his effort in 2025.
