March marks the anniversary of sports betting in Illinois. The timing, of course, could have been better, but at that point, no one anticipated a pandemic that would affect the whole world. The sports industry shut down for a while, but is able to bounce back in a couple of months. The same goes for sports betting, as the rebound the industry had in 2020 resulted in amazing numbers in the sports betting world. And in the case of Illinois, sportsbook software improves sports betting in the state.
Sports betting in Illinois can be done wither through brick-and-mortar casinos, or through online sportsbook software. However, Illinois law requires people to register in person. This can be done in a licensed sportsbook or casino before they can gain access to sportsbooks in the state. But due to the problems this brings during the pandemic, the policy is temporarily waived.
Sportsbook Software Improves Sports Betting
Governor J.B. Pritzker is temporarily waiving the required in-person registration for residents who wish to place wagers online. This has been going on every month since August of last year. As soon as this policy change was in effect, the numbers have started to improve. Month after month, the betting handle in Illinois increased. July 2020 was the last month that in-person registration was required. During this month, the state’s betting handle is $52.5 million. The policy was removed back in August, which yielded a $140.1 million. By December 2020, the handle of the state is $491.7 million. This is a far cry from July’s $52 million.
And any PPH Bookie will tell you that online sports betting is not just the key to the future of sports betting. Rather, it is the present. With so many online sportsbooks available to people from the safety of their homes, it becomes a lot easier to generate income. If you’ll take notice of the top-performing state numbers in the US, the states on the top part of the list all have online sports betting allowed. And with Illinois removing their in-person registration requirement, they can definitely reach new heights in terms of building a larger sports betting market.
