PointsBet, which runs one of New Jersey’s newest sportsbooks, has beaten the state’s oldest big guns, FanDuel, and DraftKings to it.
The go-go Australian-based company is set to become the first sportsbook operator in Illinois – and that’s quite a coup.
Illinois and major city Chicago is the third-largest metropolitan area in the US. With 9.5 million people, it is also the largest of the 15 states that have so far embraced sports betting. New Jersey, currently the US market leader in sports betting, has a population of 9 million.
The PointsBet announcement about their move to Illinois came just days after state Governor J.B. Pritzker’s signature had legalized sports betting last Friday.
In its announcement, PointsBet confirmed that it had entered a 20-year partnership with the Hawthorne Race Course. As the longest, continuously run family-owned racetrack in North America, Hawthorne has become a Chicago-area landmark.
“PointsBet and Hawthorne Race Course,” the Sportsbook’s announcement said, “will work in tandem to build a world-class, multi-faceted sports entertainment venue.”
Illinois to offer both online and in-house sports betting
The venue is “centrally located on the property of the historic racecourse following licensure by the Illinois Gaming Board.” It will offer both in-house and online mobile betting.
PointsBet and Hawthorne will also work on launching sports betting at off-track betting establishments such as professional sports stadiums throughout the state.
The Illinois bill includes the mandate that Illinois sportsbooks should use “official league data”. It also comes with an unusual twist. Would-be Illinois sportsbook operators FanDuel and DraftKings have been in a ‘penalty box’ for 18 months.
It’s allegedly because both have conducted illegal online sports fantasy gaming in the state in the past. It’ll give PointsBet such a big head start it’s no wonder, its US CEO, Johnny Aitken, is celebrating.
He said: “PointsBet is ecstatic to partner with the Hawthorne Race Course. It is an iconic venue. It has been part of the fabric of the Chicago sports and entertainment scene since its inception in 1891.”
“Illinois sports fans are diehard in every sense of the word. It elates us to introduce them to our premium sportsbook and our innovative, bettor-first experience.”
PointsBet will bring top technology and expertize to Illinois
PointsBet, he said, would bring the following to “Illinois’ eager sports betting market”:
- The best-in-market proprietary technology
- Modernized and premium brand mentality
- Expert trading practices….
- And proven growth marketing strategies
Meantime, Tim Carey, president and GM of Hawthorne Race Course, said: “Governor Pritzker and the Legislature have given us a historic opportunity. This is to transform the Illinois racing industry with the addition of casino gaming and sports betting,”
“It’s an opportunity that we won’t take lightly and that’s exactly why we chose PointsBet as our partner. Our business has survived because we put players first. PointsBet has proven they do as well. That is how we will succeed together.
Launched in New Jersey in January, PointsBet is a rapidly growing sportsbook with unique offerings and a punter friendly approach.
It has introduced a slew of punters-come-first initiatives. One is “Good Karma Payouts,” which provides punters relief in the event of unlikely circumstances swinging the fate of a game. Another is its “making early payouts.”
