Circa Sports goes live in Illinois with mobile and retail sports betting

Circa Sports has launched a new retail and mobile sports betting offering in Illinois through a partnership with Full House Resorts’ American Place Casino in Waukegan.

Illinois marks the fourth and largest US state launch for Circa Sports, with Chicago sports legend Brian Urlacher set to place a ceremonial bet at the retail sportsbook tomorrow.

“The debut of Circa Sports Illinois is a tremendous moment for our company, and we are thrilled to have worked with this great state and Full House Resorts to bring the expansion to life,” said Circa Sports founder and CEO Derek Stevens. “There’s nothing like a Midwest sports fan and we know our product matches up with what they are looking for in a betting experience.”

The retail sportsbook at American Place features a dedicated wagering area with betting kiosks, physical ticket windows and digital boards with real-time odds. It is located in the temporary casino Full House Resorts is operating while constructing the permanent American Place casino.

“We are thrilled for Circa Sports to launch their best-in-class sportsbook in Illinois in partnership with our American Place Casino,” said Full House Resorts chief development officer Alex Stolyar. “The premium sportsbook gives new and existing casino customers throughout Chicagoland one more reason to visit and frequent American Place.”

Illinois' sports betting market grew by 18 per cent to $611.4 million in July, bringing the total for the year above $6 billion. Online betting was up 20 per cent to $595.0 million in July, offsetting a 19 per cent fall in retail betting to $16.4 million.

Since launching in 2019, Circa Sports currently operates in four states, including four satellite sportsbooks in Southern Nevada, a retail sportsbook in Legends Bay Casino in Sparks, Nevada, and mobile offerings in Colorado and Iowa.

The operator has also been licensed in Kentucky through a partnership with ECL Corbin, owner of the Cumberland Run harness track and Mint Gaming Hall Cumberland, but will not go online until later this year.