Fanatics Sportsbook‘s busy 2024 continued on April 5 as Fanatics Betting and Gaming announced that the sportsbook has officially launched in Illinois.
The Prairie State is Fanatics Sportsbook’s 19th state of operation after the brand went live in Arizona on April 4. A spokesperson said the first bet placed in Illinois was a $50 wager on the Detroit Tigers to beat the Oakland A’s in MLB action.
The Illinois launch also comes just two days after Fanatics completed its $225 million acquisition of the U.S. businesses of PointsBet. PointsBet’s Illinois customers’ account information and balances have now been migrated to Fanatics Sportsbook.
PointsBet also has four retail locations in Illinois, including the Hawthorne Race Course. Fanatics said it will update those locations in the coming weeks with new signage, enhanced odds screens and new self-service betting kiosks.
Illinois launch follows other recent expansion
It continues a busy time for Fanatics in recent weeks.
PointsBet did not have a presence in Arizona as it did in Illinois. Instead, Fanatic’s expansion into the Grand Canyon State came through a long-term partnership with the Tonto Apache Tribe, owner and operator of the Mazatzal Hotel & Casino. The Arizona Department of Gaming had awarded Fanatics a license last month in partnership with the tribe.
Fanatics Sportsbook has also gone live in the likes of Connecticut, North Carolina and Kansas in recent weeks. Fanatics said that New Jersey will be the final state to migrate over from PointsBet, something that is expected to happen within the next 30 days.
