We've all participated in office pools and other major sporting events, like March Madness, and we're now getting a chance to bet here in the state,' said Neil Bluhm, co-founder and chairman of Rush Street Gaming, the parent company of Rivers Casino. People have been betting on sports since the first time somebody threw a ball into a field. 'The governor and the saw an opportunity to take an underground market, and make it legal, regulated, and produce taxes and jobs. The governor's office has estimated the state will collect up to $102 million a year in revenue from sports wagering taxes, which will be used to fund the state's capital construction program. JB Pritzker signed legislation to allow sports gambling in Illinois.

Olczyk, a colon cancer survivor, said if he wins that bet, all the money will go to colon cancer research at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.Īt least five other casinos and one racetrack in the state have applied to open sportsbooks in the eight months since Gov. Rivers dedicated nearly 5,000 square feet of space to the sportsbook space, which includes a 47-foot-wide ultra HD LED video wall that features a sports score crawl. CHICAGO (CBS) - Legal sports betting is now underway in Illinois, after Rivers Casino in Des Plaines opened the state's first sportsbook on Monday.Ĭhicago Blackhawks announcer Eddie Olczyk placed the first official wager, putting down $100 on the White Sox to win the American League pennant at 16-to-1 odds. In December, Rivers Casino unveiled the BetRivers SportsBar, designed by DMAC Architecture, in the area where the sportsbook will be located.

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