Make that sportsbook number five and six for Illinois, with Hollywood Casino launching two sportsbooks on Thursday, Aug. 20, powered by Kambi Group. The state’s newest sportsbooks will be open for business in Joliet and Aurora starting at 11 a.m.
Like every casino nationwide, Hollywood Casino Joliet and Hollywood Casino Aurora were closed for several months starting in the spring. They reopened for business on July 1.
Illinois legalized sports betting in June 2019, but the first sportsbooks in the state didn’t launch until March, just as coronavirus was forcing casino closures coast to coast. Penn National Gaming, Hollywood’s parent company, has a diverse casino portfolio, including the Tropicana in Las Vegas, Greektown Casino Hotel in Detroit, and Ameristar in Black Hawk, Colo.
The casinos announced the openings on Twitter Wednesday afternoon. Both casinos are located about an hour from Chicago, which is convenient, considering Illinois as of now is still requiring in-person registration for sportsbooks.
Place your bets. Our Sportbooks will open tomorrow at 11am! See you here!
— Hollywood Aurora (@HollywoodAurora) August 19, 2020
Starting tomorrow, our Sportsbook will be open! See you then!
— Hollywood Joliet (@HollywoodJoliet) August 19, 2020
We’ve reached out for additional comment about the openings and will be following up this news with more information as it becomes available.
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