DraftKings Sportsbook is now up and running in Illinois, but the company was expected to start slow due to registration requirements in the state. Illinois requires customers to visit the casino to complete their mobile registration, and most customers are staying away from casinos during the pandemic.
DraftKings has partnered with the Casino Queen in East St. Louis, and that allowed them to launch their mobile sportsbook. DraftKings found a way around rules put in place to keep them out of the industry, and now they have found a way around the in-person registration requirement.
Thanks to a technology company, customers can sign up for a new DraftKings account from anywhere on the property at DraftKings at Casino Queen. This means that customers don’t even have to step foot inside the casino to complete their registration.
GeoComply is the technology company that has partnered with DraftKings, and they announced on Friday that they were rolling out their PinPoint program to help customers with the registration process. GeoComply can locate a customer’s location as soon as they are on the property, and this allows the registration process to be completed.
Randy Halischuk, Head of Marketing for GeoComply, noted that customers need to be in the parking lot for their PinPoint technology to pick up their location. This will create an easier process for new customers, and it will also keep the Casino Queen from becoming overcrowded as customers flock to sign up for the new sportsbook.
GeoComply is also the company that is tracking locations for DraftKings customers to ensure that all bets are being placed from inside state borders. DraftKings now has a chance to become a major player in the Illinois market in a matter of weeks.
Mobile Registration Period Helped BetRivers
If DraftKings had launched before the end of July, they would have been able to avoid this issue altogether. During the pandemic, casinos were closed, which didn’t allow any sportsbooks in Illinois to register new customers.
In early June, Governor JB Pritzker issued an executive order that removed the in-person registration requirement, and he extended that executive order for 30 days on June 26. The period came to a close at the end of July, meaning DraftKings just missed out on this mobile registration period.
Rivers Casino in Des Plaines was the first sportsbook to offer sports betting in Illinois on March 9, and they were also the first company to roll out their mobile sportsbook app. BetRivers was able to take advantage of this mobile registration, and it has given them a huge leg up on the competition in Illinois.
BetRivers is the only other sportsbook offering mobile sports betting, and they weren’t happy when DraftKings was granted a sports betting license. These two companies will now be competing for business until another sportsbook joins the party.
Sportsbook operators are hoping that Pritzker will issue an executive order to waive in-person registration as the pandemic is still sweeping through the state.
Other States Using PinPoint
Other states have already partnered with GeoComply to ensure that all sports bets are placed within specific locations. Mississippi and Montana are two other states that have clients that work with PinPoint Technology.
The Pearl River Casino in Mississippi uses PinPoint that allows customers to place bets on sports as long as they are on the casino property.
Taverns and restaurants in Montana that offer sports betting use PinPoint to ensure that customers are on the property before taking wagers.
