In June of 2019, Illinois state legislators signed off on a bill that opened the state up for retail and mobile sports betting. At the same time, the new law dictated that Illinois sports bettors would need to register for mobile betting accounts through an in-person registration process to be handled through one of the state’s retail sports betting facilities.

You could not simply complete the whole process online as you could in other legal states like New Jersey, Colorado and Michigan.

When COVID hit, lawmakers decided to ease the in-person requirement for a period. Unfortunately, regulators reinstated it again as health concerns decreased by the middle of 2021. That left Illinois online sportsbooks anxiously counting down the days to March 5th, 2022 when it was finally removed for good.

March 5th Relaunch

This on-again off-again approach to mobile sports betting registration had an additional negative effect. It discouraged some of the major sportsbooks from entering the Illinois market at all. The most obvious example of this was the popular BetMGM sportsbook app.

Now, right on cue with fully mobile signup, BetMGM has launched its platform in Illinois. The timing of course is not a coincidence. Management at BetMGM always made clear they were uncomfortable with the in-person registration mandate. With the mandate officially set aside, BetMGM were ready to go. And they did so with less than two weeks before the big college basketball tournament starts.

The timing sets BetMGM up for a potentially explosive opening month.

BetMGM Illinois Goes Live

As a full-service mobile betting provider, BetMGM brings access to a full menu of betting markets from the U.S. and abroad.

The list of available U.S. sports betting markets includes Men’s and Women’s NCAA BB (including March Madness), NCAA FB, MLB, NHL, NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLS, NASCAR, PGA Golf, and more.

The list of available international betting markets includes international basketball and baseball, boxing, pro tennis, darts, cycling, Aussie Rules Football, rugby, cricket, volleyball, golf, MMA fighting, and international soccer leagues like the English Premier and Champions leagues.

As for betting options, BetMGM is aware that Illinois bettors are already used to choice. To meet those needs, they offer a full range of betting types. You’ll find straight bets (money line and point spread), multi-leg bets (parlays), readers, proposition bets, live in-game wagering, round robin bets, and futures odds betting among the offerings.

Their betting limits are very much in line with the rest of the competition. In other words, high rollers and casual fans alike are welcome to register online.

BetMGM Illinois Welcome Offer

BetMGM has a reputation for regular fun and exciting sports betting promotions. Leading the way is their risk-free first bet welcome offer. It works as follows. After completing the free registration process, Illinois mobile sports bettors can make their initial deposit and place their first bet. If that first bet loses, BetMGM will issue a 100% rebate in the form of a free bet voucher. The amount of the free bet rebate is a maximum of $1,000. After receiving the free bet, bettors will have seven (7) days to use it or lose it.

BetMGM customer service is available 24/7/365 via email, phone, and online line chat.