There is some good news for sports betters in Illinois! Joe Ostrowski of 670 The Score is reporting that a source with knowledge of the situation says that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker will extend the emergency declaration that allows for remote registration for online betting apps in Illinois.

The executive order was set to expire on September 19th, which would have meant that fans looking to sign up for one of the sports betting apps in Illinois would have had to complete their registration at the app’s partner casino in the state. For DraftKings at Casino Queen Sportsbook, in particular, this would have meant a ride to East St. Louis, which is not in the cards for most people, especially those in and around Chicago.

Good news for Illinois sports bettors who haven’t registered for all of the available apps.

A source with knowledge of the situation tells me that @GovPritzker is going with status quo and remote registration stays. The executive order was set to expire tomorrow.

— Joe Ostrowski (@JoeO670) September 18, 2020

A Big Boost For Illinois Sports Betting

FanDuel  suffers from a similar location issue. With unbelievable numbers to the tune of 230,000 registered mobile sports betting accounts in just under two months in Illinois, the in-person restriction would have slammed the brakes on the explosive growth in the market. But it appears that Governor Pritzker, faced likely with pressure from sportsbook operators, state legislators who have coffers to fill with tax revenue, and from the general public, who isn’t likely keen on walking into a casino for something that could be done entirely remotely, has decided to extend his executive order.

On-Again, Off-Again for Illinois Online Sports Betting

Earlier this summer, when the order was put in place, he allowed it to expire, meaning that there has been an on-again, off-again nature to mobile registration for sports betting in Illinois. But just one week into the NFL season, and in a clearly growing market, the net result of his decision to extend the emergency declaration is good for both sports betters in Illinois and online sports books.

This weekend, we recommend checking out PointsBet. It’s one of the leading online betting apps with class-leading technology. They are offering a crowd booster on the Bears as an 89-point underdog , which is effectively guaranteed money.