Hard Rock Bet Joins Illinois Legal Sports Betting Market

Hard Rock Bet launched as a legal sports betting app in Illinois on Monday, joining a market loaded with our best sports betting sites.

Hard Rock Bet became the ninth sportsbook in the bustling Illinois sports betting market. Since launching a legal sports betting scene in March 2020, the Land of Lincoln has become a reliable top-three betting market in the nation, battling it out month after month with New Jersey sports betting for the second spot behind New York sports betting.

The launch comes in time to take advantage of sports betting’s bread-and-butter NFL season. The Hard Rock Bet app went live before its retail facility, Hard Rock Casino Rockford, took its first wager on Thursday.

"This is shaping up to be a monumental football season for Hard Rock Bet with our Roll With Us campaign, the continued innovations on our highly-rated platform, and now the launch of Hard Rock Bet in one of the largest sports betting markets in the country," said Marlon Goldstein, Executive Managing Director & CEO for Hard Rock Digital.

"We're thrilled to be delivering the unique Hard Rock Bet mobile experience to players throughout Illinois on our award-winning app and in-person at the new Sportsbook at the amazing Hard Rock Casino Rockford."

A Hard Rock Bet promo code from the online and retail provider gives new users a crack at $100 in Bonus Bets instantly following their first cash bet of at least $5. 

Competitive market

Hard Rock Bet will be among the best sports betting apps in the Illinois market. It will become the ninth operator in the Land of Lincoln and will compete with FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars, BetMGM, BetRivers, Fanatics, ESPN BET, and Circa for market share.

There seems to be plenty to go around in the Illinois market and plenty of Illinois sportsbook promos for bettors to choose from. During the slow season for U.S. sportsbooks in June, the industry saw $848 million in wagers, which ranked second in the nation behind New York.

Since launch in March 2020, Illinois sports betting apps have accepted $36.9 billion in wagers, which ranks third all-time since the Supreme Court overturned its blanket ban on sports betting in 2018. Revenues for 2023 eclipsed $1 billion, and that number stands at over $3 billion lifetime.

Over $457 million in tax revenue has resulted for state and local coffers.

Hard Rock Bet momentum

The Hard Rock Bet app has been well-received in the markets it has access to including New Jersey, Arizona sports betting, Florida sports betting, Indiana sports betting, Ohio sports betting, Tennessee sports betting, and Virginia sports betting. It boasts a rating of 4.9 stars in the App Store and 4.8 stars in the Google Play Store.

The sportsbook’s combined handle for the first six months of this year was $6.6 billion and made $605.9 million in adjusted gross revenue. Handle was up 25.9% year-over-year, and revenues climbed 22.5% from the first six months last year.

Hard Rock Casino Rockfort

In conjunction with its Illinois sports betting app, Hard Rock Bet is ready to cut the ribbon on Hard Rock Bet Rockfort, a state-of-the-art 175,000-square-foot gaming facility boasting 1,300 slot machines, 50 live table games, a poker room, and, of course, a sportsbook.

It opens Thursday.

"Sports betting was always part of our holistic plan for Rockford and is another example of providing thrilling entertainment options for guests," said Geno Iafrate, President of Hard Rock Casino Rockford.

"The launch of Hard Rock Bet on mobile and in-person sports betting is another milestone for the Hard Rock brand in Illinois, one that adds to the complete array of entertainment options for our guests. If guests want to enjoy live music, have a meal, play table games, slots, or place bets on a sporting event, they can now take part in any facet of entertainment all under one roof."