EAST PEORIA, Ill. — FanDuel will be entering the Illinois market for online sports gambling, and they might be partnering with Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino in East Peoria to do so.
FanDuel posted information about how to register in Illinois at Par-A-Dice for sports betting on their website before taking it down. However, a cached version of the web page is still available on Google.
Restrictions in place with Illinois sports betting mean that people hoping to place bets online must first register in-person at a casino that is licensed by the state. If FanDuel does partner with Par-A-Dice, hopeful bettors would be able to go into Par-A-Dice to register an account before betting online.
When legislation was passed to allow sports betting in Illinois, there was an 18-month grace period that prevented sites like FanDuel and their competitors from operating in the state.
However, online sportsbooks have found a way around the grace period by partnering with brick-and-mortar casinos in the state.
FanDuel may feel pressure to enter the Illinois market as DraftKings, FanDuel’s biggest competitor, became only the second online sportsbook in Illinois by launching its sportsbook on Aug. 5 by partnering with Casino Queen in East St. Louis.
Boyd Gaming, the company that owns Par-A-Dice, has an existing relationship with FanDuel. The two companies have launched four sportsbooks in Indiana and Iowa since 2018, according to Play Illinois.
WMBD News reached out to Boyd Gaming for comment on the possible partnership, but no representative was immediately available.
