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With all the positive news for Illinois sports betting, people have been loving the great numbers that the state has been able to produce in recent months. Now, things are only going to keep on getting better in the coming months with the start of the football season, plus the MLB playoffs. With that said, there’s a new way for people not too far from Chicago to place their wagers. Last week, massive news came in that a legal sportsbook is coming to the Hard Rock in Illinois.
More specifically, the Hard Rock in Rockford, Ill. has gotten the approval from the Illinois Gaming Board to launch an in-person sportsbook, plus a mobile option as well. This is massive news and one that has people quite excited. The Hard Rock in Rockford is located around 90 minutes away from the Chicago area. It has become a popular destination for people to visit. With this sportsbook update, it’s only going to lead to more people making their way over.
“We are excited to add sports betting as the latest amenity to Hard Rock Casino Rockford — The Opening Act. We are very appreciative of the IGB’s hard work and diligence to get us to this point,” Hard Rock Casino Rockford President Geno Iafrate said via a press release. “We still have work to do as we finalize our internal controls and begin hiring and training. We are hopeful to launch sports betting within the next couple of months.”
As you can see from that quote, Iafrate and the rest of the team at the Hard Rock Rockford could not be happier that the IGB gave the casino the approval to move forward with legal sports betting. While no set date has been announced for when things will be launched, the company is already working on making hires and training the right personnel to help things move forward smoothly. All in all, this is fantastic news.
Hard Rock Casino Rockford granted sports betting license – WIFR https://t.co/0vdxN7KCad
— Rockford Bulletin (@rockbulletin1) July 27, 2023
The Hard Rock Rockford sportsbook could arrive in the middle of the football season
What’s going to be great here is that the Hard Rock Rockford sportsbook could arrive in the middle of the football season. As Iafrate mentioned in his release, the company is hopeful that sports betting can be launched in the next couple of months. With the NFL season starting in early September, it’s not expected for things to arrive by the time kickoff gets here for Week 1 of the new campaign.
However, there’s a great chance that betting could arrive at the Hard Rock late in the fall or early in the winter. For people all over Illinois, there’s no question that they’re always going to have a strong passion for the Chicago Bears. This is a young team, but with the way the NFC North is looking these days, people are racing to check the NFL betting odds for Justin Fields and Co. The division is up for grabs now that Aaron Rodgers has left the Green Bay Packers.
.@danorlovsky7 is expecting "MVP-level football" from Justin Fields this season 👀 pic.twitter.com/xagn8d2o61
— First Take (@FirstTake) July 31, 2023
For the Bears, it’s really going to come down to how much Fields will be able to develop this summer leading up to the first game of the season. Once the preseason arrives, there will be countless eyes on the young signal-caller, as he’s going to look to try and gel with his new weapons. Defensively, the Bears are fantastic too, which has people excited to see what they’ll be able to get done moving forward.
All in all, NFL betting will be quite high for people in the state regardless. However, getting a new sportsbook launched at the Hard Rock in Rockford, plus providing another online outlet, will only help the numbers skyrocket. In the coming weeks, we should find out more about when the Hard Rock will be able to get the ball rolling, but these sure are exciting times for people in the Rockford and Chicago area.
Illinois continues to be among the top states for betting
This latest news from the Hard Rock only adds to the fact that Illinois continues to be among the top states for betting. While New York is No. 1 on the list because of its earth-shattering numbers, it’s important to remember that things are still growing great for Illinois on a consistent basis.
What’s surely helping the state as a whole is that there are some truly incredible pro teams in Chicago. Whether you’re talking about the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Fire, Cubs, White Sox and more, the following that each of these teams have is quite high. With this, it of course is going to lead to plenty of betting action too.
Right now, there’s a ton of MLB betting focus on the Cubs and White Sox, as we’re in the heart of the MLB season. The MLB betting is quite high and things aren’t going to slow down, especially with the postseason inching close and closer. People are loving all the options in the state and things will keep on getting better once the Hard Rock launches its sportsbook too.
