PointsBet Launches in Illinois, and It’s an Instant Leader
Scrappy online sportsbook PointsBet, in partnership with Hawthorne Race Course, has launched in Illinois. It may quickly become one of the best Illinois sports betting apps on the market.
On July 16, PointsBet was issued their temporary gaming license in Illinois, making them eligible to accept online sports bets through partner Hawthorne Race Course, which now has a Master Sports Wagering License in Illinois.
Today, it goes live, just in time for the first Sunday of the NFL regular season. In doing so, PointsBet becomes the fourth legal online sportsbook to go live in Illinois.
PointsBet Sportsbook States: IL, IN, NJ, IA
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PointsBet, an Australian company that picked up stakes and moved its entire executive team to the United States, has been making waves in New Jersey and Indiana as a mobile-first sports betting product.
Beyond their class-leading technology and excellent usability, PointsBet offers a unique value proposition: points-betting.
Known as spread betting elsewhere, points betting allows players to wager on an over-under style prop and win (or lose) a multiplier of their wager. Say, for example, you bet $10 on Mitch Trubisky to throw over 300 yards in a game. For every yard he goes over, you can win a multiple of your bet. Of course, this goes both ways. And if he throws for 250 yards, you lose more than $10.
There are both upside and downside limits so things don’t get too out of control. But PointsBet’s unique prop betting features offers a fun alternative to traditional bets… which PointsBet still handles as good as anyone.
In fact, they often have the best prices on traditional spread bets. For example, they’re offering no-juice lines for remaining NBA regular season games. Every spread bet is even money, compared to the 10% vig most operators charge on these bets.
Positioned For Success in Illinois
PointsBet is well-positioned to succeed in Illinois. Thanks to Governor Pritzker’s current emergency declaration, bettors in the state will be allowed to sign up for mobile sportsbooks online until at least September 19.
But after that is anyone’s guest.
As the Illinois betting legislation is written, new players would otherwise have to go into a physical casino to complete their registration process before they are able to bet. This will last for about another year.
If and when the emergency declaration is lifted, PointsBet is most poised to succeed in the state.
Where DraftKings at Casino Queen Sportsbook in Illinois has its location in East St. Louis, PointsBet, thanks to its partnership with Hawthorne Race Course, has multiple locations in and around Chicago. Look:
Awesome Customer Service
There is no more customer-friendly operator in Illinois than PointsBet.
Take it from me – who has seen these efforts firsthand when we hosted a March Madness game watch in partnership with PointsBet in 2019 – as I’ve seen how rapid their online customer service team responded to questions or the rare app issue.
What’s more, PointsBet routinely offers (useful) promos, free bets, and Karma Komittee payouts on bad beats. For instance, when Nvak Djokovic defaulted from the U.S. Open last week, PointsBet refunded all outright tournament winner bets on the top seed as well as all pre-match bets.
PointsBet also won’t turn away pro or sharp bettors in Illinois.
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