The anticipated wait for Circa Sports to debut in the legal sports betting market of Illinois is almost over. The Nevada-based sportsbook operator that applied in May 2022 and has undergone a long process finally received its official go-ahead last week.
According to the Illinois Gaming Board, Circa is now licensed to operate in the state and joins seven other sportsbook operators.
Circa said earlier this month that it planned to launch in the third quarter of 2023, and it added last week the target date is late August, just in time for football season.
For those asking, if all goes as expected our current Illinois launch timing target is late August. https://t.co/AvjNCiq83E
— Circa Sports (@CircaSports) April 27, 2023
Circa partnered with Fun House Entertainment to provide retail and online sports betting sites for the in-development American Place Casino. Its current project, “The Temporary” in Waukegan, will house Circa until the main casino is ready.
However, because of IGB regulations, Circa has to wait for The Temporary, which opened earlier this year, to complete a probationary stage to receive a nonrestricted casino license from the board to operate a sportsbook, hence the August target.
Circa vs. the market
Casino owner and developer Derek Stevens created and launched a popular sports-betting brand in Las Vegas, Circa Sports, in 2019. It operates inside Circa Hotel & Casino, The D Las Vegas, and the Golden Gate. Circa has expanded its mobile app to Colorado and Iowa. Circa prides itself on taking all sorts of sports wagers and being user-friendly.
Illinois will be a big challenge. Circa will compete in the Land of Lincoln with operators FanDuel, DraftKings, Barstool Sportsbook, BetRivers, Caesars, PointsBet, and BetMGM. Illinois sports betting has a robust market that produced nearly $2 billion in handle in the first two months of 2023.
Future of college betting
Circa’s licensing isn’t the only change on the horizon for Illinois sports betting. A bill in the General Assembly that would allow mobile wagering on the state’s 13 college sports teams was read for the first time last week in the House Gaming Committee.
When Illinois originally made sports betting legal in 2019, only retail locations could offer in-state college teams. Rep. Jonathan Carroll, who filed HB 4041, said adding those teams could represent 20% more college sports revenue.
