Hard Rock Bet launched its mobile betting app in Illinois on Monday, more than a year after it received licensure from the state regulator.
“We’re thrilled to be delivering the unique Hard Rock Bet mobile experience to players throughout Illinois on our award-winning app and in-person at the new Sportsbook at the amazing Hard Rock Casino Rockford,” Hard Rock Digital CEO Marlon Goldstein said.
The Rockford casino will enjoy its grand opening on Thursday, August 29. The launch of the platform gives Illinois bettors their choice of nine online sportsbooks, just in time for the 2024 NFL season.
Growing the brand
Illinois is one of the most lucrative jurisdictions in America for sports betting operators. Sportsbooks combined to accept close to $37 billion in wagers since the first launch in March 2020, the third-largest amount during that time.
Total sports betting revenue also exceeded $1 billion in 2023.
“This is shaping up to be a monumental football season for Hard Rock Bet with our Roll With Us campaign, the continued innovations on our highly-rated platform and now the launch of Hard Rock Bet in one of the largest sports betting markets in the country,” Goldstein said.
Hard Rock is now live in eight states, including Arizona, Florida, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and now Illinois.
The famed brand owns a monopoly in Florida as part of the state’s agreement with the Seminole tribe. It also offers online casino gaming in New Jersey, which rivals Illinois for the second-largest sports betting marketplace in the U.S.
Hard Rock entering the Illinois market just in time for the NFL allows it to capitalize on the busiest time of the year for sportsbooks and on the optimism that is brewing in Chicago thanks to the Bears’ new-look roster headlined by first-overall pick Caleb Williams.
Tax hikes and market environment
While the Illinois sports betting ecosystem has thrived, it has also been in the headlines due to recent controversy.
Gov. JB Pritzker authorized a tax hike on operating revenue from a flat rate of 15 percent to a tiered system that tops out at 40 percent. The new system began at the start of the fiscal year on July 1.
The steep hike drew the ire of licensed sportsbooks and was a catalyst in DraftKings unveiling plans for a surcharge on winning wagers, though the company later scrapped that idea due to the overwhelming backlash it received.
The new tax system could still work to the benefit of Hard Rock Bet.
Flutter Entertainment, FanDuel’s parent company, said it would cut its marketing spend to offset the tax increase. DraftKings has also been focused on reducing operating costs over the last year and a half and is likely to look for corners to cut following its failed surcharge plans.
Because of this, Hard Rock Bet likely won’t face as much competition in its audience acquisition as it otherwise would.
Illinois sportsbooks reported $6.6 billion in combined wagers during the first half of 2024, a 25.9 percent increase year-to-year, and $605.9 million in adjusted gross revenue, a 22.5 percent increase.
