PointsBet Launches at Hawthorne Racecourse in Illinois

PointsBet officially opened its retail sportsbook at Hawthorne Racecourse in Stickney, last Wednesday. The launch comes two and a half weeks after PointsBet launched its mobile betting app formally in the state. Now, PointsBet has both a retail and mobile sportsbook in the Land of Lincoln.

The new sportsbook is 11 miles southwest of Chicago right off I-55, making it easy for bettors to get too. Not to mention, PoitnsBet will also be at three of Hawthorne’s off-track betting locations at Crestwood, Oakbrook Terrace, and Prospect Heights.

In the last month, PointsBet made Chicago Bears legend Devin Hester their sports betting ambassador, launched a mobile sportsbook in Illinois, partnered with the Chicago Bears, and now launched it’s brick and mortar sportsbook just south of the city. Although PointsBet has a temporary sportsbook at Hawthorne, it is undergoing a $400 million renovation for a fully loaded sportsbook launched in 2021.

PointsBet Makes a Splash in the Land of Lincoln

PointsBet is one of the fastest-growing sportsbooks in the U.S., especially in the midwest. They have already launched in Iowa and Indiana, and are now making another huge impact early with the Illinois market.

PointsBet became the fourth sportsbook to launch in the state after BetRivers, DraftKings,
and FanDuel all entered earlier. The moves they are making are only going to help them in the long-term.

Devin Hester is their brand ambassador, and they also recently partnered with the Chicago Bears, who Hester had a historic career. Their retail sportsbook will be 11 miles from Chicago, and oh, by the way, they are putting $400 million into a brand new sportsbook.

After Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker extended his executive order to allow people to register online for sports betting accounts, PointsBet moved quickly to capitalize on it. This has also been a huge help to gain a market share early on in the Land of Lincoln.

They are also going to have betting kiosks at three of Hawthorne’ OTBs in Crestwood, Oakbrook Terrace, and Prospect Heights. PointsBet is capitalizing on the market and Chicagoland area. All four physical locations are all just outside of Chicago or the surrounding suburbs.

PointsBet has made great moves viewing Illinois as a long-term game. With the largest population in the midwest, this will be something that should benefit PointsBet in the coming years, especially the partnerships they have made in the state.

More Sportsbooks in Illinois

Illinois has five mobile sportsbooks operating in the state with BetRivers, DraftKings, FanDuel, PointsBet, and William Hill.

The Land of Lincoln is heating up as more sportsbooks are entering the market and trying to take advantage of Pritzker’s executive order extension, allowing people to sign-up online instead of in person.

PointsBet arguably has an edge early on in the Illinois sports betting market, however. They are the closest to Chicago and have a partnership with the city’s most popular team in the Bears. Yes, DraftKings partnered with the Cubs and is looking to build a sportsbook in Wrigley, largest sportsbook in the country, according to DraftKings, but that is still in the works.

PointsBet is also building a $400 million sportsbook of their own, which will be done around December 2021.

For the other sportsbooks, they are going to have to get creative with how too attract customers. William Hill and BetRivers are in the Chicagoland area, but FanDuel is in Peoria. DraftKings is also in southern Illinois, but have made strides in getting customers around Chicago via mobile betting.

This is just the beginning of what should be a competitive market.