SportsHandle and friends deliver another round-up of the week’s big developments in US sports betting.

Illinois Gaming Board Grants Seven Master Sports Wagering Licenses

The Illinois Gaming Board approved seven casinos for Master Sports Wagering licenses Thursday, moving the Land of Lincoln another step closer to having mobile sports betting available in the near future.

The Argosy in Alton, Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, Hollywood Casinos in Aurora and Joliet, Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Casino Queen in East St. Louis, and Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino were all unanimously approved by the board for four-year licenses that expire in June 2024. All seven previously held an owner’s license and temporary sports wagering permit, with the Argosy and Rivers the lone two provisionally approved to accept wagers prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which shuttered casinos across Illinois in March.

Full story here.

Native American Casino In Colorado Launches First U.S. Mobile Sportsbook Available Statewide

The quick-growing Colorado online sports betting market added a significant new player Tuesday when the Sky Ute Casino Resort announced it will go online with its Sky Ute SportsBook. The launch is the product of a partnership between the Ignacio, Colo.-based Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Nevada-based sportsbook group USBookmaking, helmed by American Gaming Association Hall of Famer Vic Salerno. 

The launch marks possibly two U.S. industry firsts: the first Native American-owned sportsbook company (USBookmaking) to go live with a mobile sportsbook app outside Nevada, and the the first Native American property to go to market with a mobile sportsbook that’s available for download statewide. 

Full story here.

Meet The Man Behind Colorado Sports Betting

Dan Hartman is not a household name in Colorado. Nope, while the name Von Miller immediately makes you think of Super Bowl 50 or the name Nolan Arenado makes you duck at the thought of a baseball whizzing by on its way to first base, the name Dan Hartman makes you, well, scratch your head.

But according to a colleague, if you’re into sports betting, Dan Hartman is a name you should revere.

“He’s a real gem of an unknown person in public service, a person that most people will never had heard of, but boy are they glad he’s there,” said Ed Martin, president of the Association of Racing Commissioners International and a longtime associate of Hartman’s.

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Safety Protocols Emphasized As Vegas Sportsbooks Reopen For First Time In 78 Days

Each May, Mark DeRosa typically makes a pilgrimage to Las Vegas to lock in favorable odds for a bevy of futures tickets months before the NFL season kicks off.

But for sportsbooks in Las Vegas, along with the casino industry altogether, hardly anything over the first half of 2020 could be characterized as typical.

When DeRosa, a 37-year-old sports bettor from Florida, received word that a handful of top books on the Strip were opening their windows for the first time in weeks, he booked the first flight he could find to Sin City. Within a span of 48 hours, DeRosa visited at least seven books, including Circa Sports at Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, where he collected a $63,000 payout on a 2019 NFL MVP wager.

Full story here.

Betting Interest In English Premier League Picks Up As Return Nears

While the English Premier League race is essentially a fait accompli with Liverpool six points from clinching its first top-flight title since 1990, there is eagerness and optimism across sportsbooks in the United States for the league’s impending return, starting with next Thursday’s doubleheader of Aston Villa facing Sheffield United and Manchester City playing host to Arsenal.

Within the U.S., the Premier League has grown in popularity in recent seasons, aided by both increased television exposure and the expansion of legal sports betting in multiple states across the country. When play kicks off next week, at least eight states will be able to offer some form of mobile sports wagering. And as retail sportsbooks resume operations after meeting COVID-19 protocols and guidelines for reopening, more options for bettors will be available.

Full story here.