Illinois sports bettors can once again register for accounts online, less than a month after mandatory in-person registration was reinstated, Jeremy Kudon, an attorney representing DraftKings and FanDuel wrote on Twitter Friday afternoon.
DraftKings confirmed the suspension of on-premise sportsbook registration through at least Sept. 19, until which date Illinois sports bettors can once again register their accounts remotely. It was not immediately known what happens to that suspension after Sept. 19, however.
Illinois Governor’s Back-And-Forth
On July 24, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker let expire provisions of an executive order he issued in June, which temporarily allowed mobile sports betting registrations in the state in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The expiration once again meant the only way Illinois sports bettors could sign up for an account with a sportsbook was in-person at a casino.
At the time, we reached out to Pritzker’s office for comment. Jordan Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the governor, said there was “no longer a need” to suspend mandatory in-person registration because Illinois casinos had reopened for business. She declined to answer our follow-up about the potential health ramifications of compelling bettors to travel to indoor public places in light of coronavirus.
The governor’s office has apparently changed course, however.
‘Fans For The Future’ Campaign
We reported this week about a new email campaign reportedly launched by DraftKings urging Illinois residents to email elected officials asking to reinstate online registration, but it could not be immediately determined at press time whether the campaign, called Fans For The Future, was a direct catalyst for Pritzker’s about-face.
On Saturday, Aug. 22, DraftKings CEO Jason Robins praised the decision on Twitter.
Less than 2 hours after being notified last night that mobile registration is back in IL, @DKSportsbook was ready to go. Moments later, the marketing machine turned on. So proud of the #DKNG team for rallying late on a Friday to get this done. Game on Illinois!
— Jason Robins (@JasonDRobins) August 22, 2020
Emails seeking comment sent to Gov. Pritzker’s office were not immediately returned.
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