Consumers in Illinois will once again have to register in person for online sports betting accounts, after Governor J.B. Pritzker failed to extend a an executive order relaxing the requirement.
Last month, Pritzker signed Executive Order 2020-41, which relaxed rules that require players in Illinois to register in-person in order to access online sports betting services.
In-person registration had not been possible since the state’s casinos were forced to temporarily close in mid-March due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
However, casinos were permitted to reopen from July 1, in line with a host of measures to help slow the spread of Covid-19, including operating at 50% capacity.
The Executive Order had been due to last for as long as the state’s Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamations were in effect. The fifth and most recent Proclamations, also designed to support the state during the pandemic, ended yesterday (July 26).
Ahead of this, Pritzker extended a number of Executive Orders to run in line with ongoing Covid-19 measures, but the temporary removal of in-person registration was not among those that were renewed.
As such, it appears consumers in Illinois must now again register at approved venues in order open a new online betting account with licensed operators in the state.
Illinois opened its regulated market in March this year after Pritzker signed the Sports Wagering into law in July 2019. The Act states that for the first 18 months of the market, players must sign up in-person for an online betting account at a licensed venue.