Circa Sports was unanimously approved for a Management Services Provider license by the Illinois Gaming Board on Thursday, putting it one large step closer to launching mobile sports wagering in the Land of Lincoln.
Circa submitted its application to the IGB last May, and Illinois will be its fourth state for business, along with Colorado, Iowa, and its Nevada headquarters. The next step for Circa is to make a formal request to the IGB to commence wagering. After authorization, it would then become the eighth mobile sportsbook in the state.
It has been slightly more than a year since the IGB last expanded offerings for mobile wagering, with BetMGM launching operations in March 2022 after being approved in late January. BetMGM waited until March to commence wagering because the clock expired on the in-person registration provision that was included in the state law that legalized sports wagering in June 2019.
Barstool Sportsbook opened for business in March 2021, while the first five operators — BetRivers, DraftKings, FanDuel, PointsBet, and Caesars (nee William Hill) — all commenced operations between June 2020 and September 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.