Circa Sports and Full House Resorts have partnered up to open a brand-new retail sportsbook in Waukegan. This new casino will be known as American Place and will be Circa Sports’ first retail sportsbook to open outside of its headquarters in Nevada. Currently, Circa Sports also has an established presence in Iowa, as well as Colorado.
Launching its industry-leading offering to punters in Illinois will allow the brand to expand even further. Illinois is so far the second highest sports wagering state in the country based on data shared by the Illinois Gaming Board. This March, the state managed to set a new betting record of almost $1 billion, with almost every sportsbook in the state also celebrating new profits highs.
The recently concluded NCAA Tournament accounted for the majority of bets placed in March. However, the eradication of in-person registration also helped to boost the numbers considerably. Now that Circa Sports is coming to Chicago, it will have the opportunity to take advantage of the burgeoning market as it looks to expand its services to other jurisdictions with legal sports betting.
The removal of in-person registration for online wagering in the state went into effect this year on March 5th. As a result, punters in Illinois are no longer required to register in person at a retail sportsbook, which was inconvenient and dissuaded a lot of modern would-be punters. With this requirement gone, Circa Sports should have a much easier time convincing punters to sign up and show up at the retail location.
Although the Illinois market is performing exactly as initially predicted, it is still relatively immature. Online wagering has continued to account for approximately 80% of all the best placed month to month. The leading operator has been FanDuel, which has been topping the online and retail wagers.
DraftKings has been trailing closely since it debuted its services in Illinois in August 2020. When it launched, FanDuel was originally partners with Par-A-Dice Casio. However, the brand recently moved its online license to FanDuel Sportsbook and Racing.
Other sportsbooks brand that Circa Sports will have to contend with include BetMGM, which partnered with Par-A-Dice Casino located in East Peoria. BetMGM will be one to watch as it is considered a top 4 sportsbook in the country. PointsBet will also be one to beat as the brand has also been offering online, mobile, and sports wagering services in the state.
PointsBet launched in Illinois in September 2020 and has since debuted multiple retail books, many of which are situated in the lucrative Chicago area. One of PointsBets’ best-performing books is situated at the iconic Hawthorne Race Course but it also has several off-track wagering venues in Crestwood, Oakbrook Terrace, and Prospect Heights.
PointsBet will be a tough competitor for Circa Sports as the brand already offers exclusive market prices for the Bears NFL team in the state. If Circa Sports wants to succeed in the state, it will undoubtedly have to work on signing key partnerships such as these that will enable its expansion in the populous state.
Other sportsbooks in the state that Circa Sports will have to compete with includes Caesars, Barstool Sportsbook, as well as BetRivers. BetRivers, which is a subsidiary of the well-established company Rush Street Interactive, has a strong foothold in the state. This means that Circa Sports must do everything it can to stand out before it can capture a good share of the local retail sportsbook market.
When Circa Sports finally opens, this will be the 5th casino to be situated close to Chicago. Circa will introduce mobile sports betting app, which will operate using Full House Resorts’ technology. Full House will set up the resort and casino for Circa and will also be the license holder. Once it is operational, Circa’s sports betting app will be the 8th mobile sports betting app to launch in Illinois.
What we cover
Waukegan celebrating the arrival of the casino
This new American Place Casino is expected to be constructed in the heart of the Fountain Square district in Waukegan. Waukegan is situated roughly 40 miles north of Chicago and the arrival of this new casino could not have come at a better time. For decades, leaders in the community have yearned and shared a dream of converting a slice of the vibrant city into an entertainment hotspot.
So much so that in 2018, the city bought 32 acres in the Fountain Square District before it could be developed into residential properties. The hope was that the officials would successfully convince a developer to fulfill its mission of establishing a high-end tourist and entertainment district, and Full House will make that a reality.
Until the brand-new casino and resort are up and running, Full House will be in charge of a temporary American Place casino while the construction of the permanent structure is underway. The Temporary at American Place is already open and the foundation has been poured for the casino.
Even though the complete permanent casino will not be ready to open its doors until 2025, gamblers could be using the temporary location as early as this October. The temporary casino will be about the size of 3 football fields and will border the Fountain Square Shopping center.
The temporary casino will feature a high-tension tent that will house 1000 slot machines, 50 table games, as well as a sportsbook lounge. The company has already started the recruiting process and will be hiring hundreds of individuals to work at the temporary casino.
Final Thoughts
Circa Sports promises to deliver a great gambling experience to its new customers, which should help the brand easily set up shop in the Prairie State. As it continues to expand and increase its foothold in the sports betting market, the sportsbooks from Vegas will keep gaining national recognition.
Circa Sports is currently in charge of numerous sportsbooks in downtown Las Vegas, including the D Las Vegas, as well as the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino. The brand has created a solid niche in Vegas sports betting circles, and it plans to introduce the same offerings to punters all over the country.
