Illinois Expands Roster of Sports Betting Providers to Hard Rock, Betway

New providers join competitive legal sports betting market.

Dave Bonderoff

Last updated: July 31, 2023 2:25 PM EDT • 3 min read

The state of Illinois, which has been one of America's most consistent and reliable sports betting destinations, took a step late last week to further fill out its full roster of Illinois sports betting apps and retail sports wagering operators

The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) board meeting Thursday identified the licensing success of two new legal sports betting operators, Hard Rock Bet and Betway. Each company will go live in the state to compete with just seven that currently exist there.

The announcement paved the way for Hard Rock to seize on a mobile sports betting presence as well as retail opportunities in Illinois and Betway to move forward with coveted mobile wagering opportunities.

The deals

Thanks to the IGB, Hard Rock Bet is now authorized to launch a mobile and retail sportsbook through its Hard Rock Casino in Rockford. Betway gains an untethered Illinois mobile sports betting app license with no retail betting opportunities.

Each will pay the staggering $20 million licensing fee that is required in the Land of Lincoln.

For Hard Rock, Illinois becomes their sixth state, along with Arizona, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, and Ohio. For Super Group owned Betway, Illinois adds to nine U.S. markets they have a presence in, with Massachusetts ready to launch as well.

What Hard Rock and Betway are getting into

As mentioned, Illinois has been one of the most reliable and successful legal sports betting markets in the country. In May alone, during a time that usually signals a major downturn in sports wagering activity across the U.S., an impressive $821.7 million handle was reported, 97% of which came from Illinois sports betting apps.

Illinois is one of just five U.S. states boasting at least one month with a $1 billion-plus handle. Last October, Illinois sports betting apps took in a whopping $1.03 billion.

The Land of Lincoln is consistently a top-3 performer in terms of overall bets in the U.S. market any given month. Bettors also have the ability to take advantage of Illinois sports betting promos.

Only seven online sports betting providers were active in the Illinois legal sports betting market prior to Hard Rock and Betway coming on board. Competition is tough in that market but there seems to be optimism for other providers to gain some of the market share.

So, the combination of a robust market and a relatively small list of competitors makes Illinois a quality destination for both betting brands.

Tough time filling out the family

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned their blanket ban on sports betting in 2018, the story has been the rush of providers trying to gain licenses in participating states. But Illinois has had some trouble in filling out their full roster of online sports betting providers.

There are a few reasons for the apparent lack of urgency for providers to get in on the Illinois scene, despite the impressive monthly handles that the state posts.

First off is the state's mandated $20 million application fee, which is among the highest in the country. Hopeful sportsbooks would have to gain a decent market share in order to just recoup that application fee. It is the reason that the industry there includes the big names in the industry and is void of some of the smaller operators.

Caesars, BetRivers, BetMGM, FanDuel, PointsBet, DraftKings, and Barstool currently make up the menu of Illinois' online sports betting apps. They are popular destinations and each has a respectable market share.

The big names have deep pockets and high profiles and pose a risk for other providers trying to wrestle away any of their client base. It is yet another reason that Illinois was a scary market to enter for any other sports betting provider.

That is until Thursday and the announcement of Hard Rock Bet and Betway joining the Illinois scene.

Written By:
Dave Bonderoff

Dave Bonderoff and betting go hand-in-hand. Both are characterized by "odds". Dave fancies himself as one of the most dedicated sports and pop-culture junkies around, to the chagrin of his family and friends. Following sports for 50 years and writing about it for 20, Dave hasn't found a sport yet that can't contribute to 2-3 straight hours of couch time. That search remains ongoing. As a good old Canadian boy, hockey is in Dave’s heart, as is curling sadly. But evolution is a real thing and that’s why football, baseball, and just about every sport on the planet has become a passion. Dave isn’t afraid to kill some time obsessing over politics or the far-too-frequent awards shows the consume the airwaves.