Illinois Gov. renews sports betting online registration for 6th time

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday renewed the executive order that allows the remote registration for sports betting in Illinois. It is the sixth time he has done so since initially issuing it in June.

The Executive Order 2020-74 renewed a series of orders issued by the governor, including the suspension of the in-person registration requirement to obtain access to mobile sports wagering through Jan. 9, 2021, as reported by Sports Handle. Under the order, customers can register for accounts via mobile devices or computers. The previous executive order was set to expire Saturday.

Retail sportsbooks that operate in seven of the state’s 10 casinos and Hawthorne Race Course have been closed since Nov. 20 due to a rise in COVID-19 cases across Illinois. Prior to the shutdown, they had been operating at either 25% or 50% capacity depending on a series of metrics from the state’s Department of Health after the Illinois Gaming Board approved protocols for a July 1 re-opening.

Unlike last month, this renewal by Pritzker was not accompanied with a sports betting revenue report from the Illinois Gaming Board for October. The regulatory agency reported that licensed Illinois sportsbooks handled more than $305 million in September, and Pritzker’s renewals of 2020-41 have proved vital to the new industry considering more than 90% of the handle was generated via online and mobile wagers.