PointsBet Online and Mobile Sports Betting Live in State of Illinois; Flagship Hawthorne Race Course Retail Location and Three Premium Off-Track Betting Sites to Follow Soon

CHICAGO, Sept. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PointsBet, a premier global sportsbook operator, announced today that it is now providing its mobile app and digital sports betting product in Illinois. Illinois marks the fourth operational state for PointsBet's premium sports betting product, following successful launches in New Jersey, Iowa, and Indiana. 

In addition to launching the PointsBet mobile app and digital product, PointsBet's convenient retail presence in Chicago will soon debut at four sites that flank every corner of Chicagoland. Hawthorne Race Course (Stickney, IL) represents the flagship retail location, and additional off-track betting (OTB) premium sportsbooks will debut in Prospect Heights, Oakbrook Terrace, and Crestwood.

"The PointsBet team is excited to share that we are now officially live in Illinois, our fourth state of operation in the US," said Johnny Aitken, PointsBet USA CEO. "The passionate sports fans in the state can now experience our leading online sports betting product and see for themselves why we've long stated that the best product experience will win. PointsBet possesses competitive advantages by owning our technology environment from end to end, such as unrivaled speed and ease of use on a personalized platform. We, together with our partner Hawthorne Race Course, are thrilled to provide the Illinois consumer with exactly what they've been craving."

Hawthorne received approval from the Illinois Gaming Board in July to move forward with a $400 million redevelopment of "Chicago's Hometown Track" to create a multi-dimensional gaming entertainment destination inclusive of a casino and sportsbook. The first-of-its-kind business in Illinois will feature slots, table games, enhanced parimutuel wagering, dining concepts created in partnership with well-known Chicago culinary leaders, and a connected multi-story parking garage.  Hawthorne Casino & Race Course is expected to open in late 2021 pending final licensing approvals.

"There are a lot of good reasons why we chose to partner with PointsBet, but most importantly it's their commitment to innovation and customer excitement," said Tim Carey, President and CEO of Hawthorne. "They truly know the passion and needs of the player and that has always been our focus in horseracing, just as it will be in the casino that we're developing. Illinois gamblers are going to quickly realize PointsBet provides the best sports betting experience by far."

As a nod to Illinois sports fans, PointsBet USA CEO Johnny Aitken confirmed that PointsBet will offer the best price in market for all Chicago Bears games this season across both the pregame spreadline and moneyline bet types. Additionally, PointsBet will unveil their innovative "Crowd Booster" promotion for sports bettors in the state of Illinois for the Chicago Bears' first three games of the 2020 NFL season. The Bears spread will be boosted five points for every 200 bets placed, resulting in an extremely favorable spread for clients. Best of all, all clients will be able to take advantage of the final spread number, regardless of where they got their bet down! 

In conjunction with the official launch of PointsBet's Illinois sports betting product, the operator also recently announced its partnership with future NFL Hall-of-Famer, Devin Hester. A symbiotic element to the partnership, a primary point of differentiation for the PointsBet mobile product is unmatched speed and ease of use. The fastest way to get down a bet in Chicago, PointsBet owns their technology end-to-end and places an emphasis on an in-house development approach, allowing PointsBet to offer clients a faster and more streamlined digital experience, exclusive product features, bet types that cannot be found anywhere else, deep Spanish language functionality, the ability to incorporate regulatory approved changes seamlessly, and so much more. In a recent interview on the partnership, Hester commented: "With the technology that these guys have, it just makes things so easy and fast. And that's why I partnered up with PointsBet, just thinking about myself being fast, and then coming in and joining with these guys, it just makes life so easy when you want to get in bets."

As the official, exclusive sports betting partner of NBC Sports, PointsBet will utilize the media giant's premium television and digital assets to promote the PointsBet brand across Illinois. As part of the agreement, NBC Sports provides PointsBet with year-round, multi-platform media and marketing opportunities across its unmatched portfolio of events, including exclusive multiplatform gameday integrations across NBC Sports Chicago, regional broadcast home to the Chicago Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox. PointsBet's full Spanish-language functionality will reach Hispanic sports fans via Telemundo Deportes and Telemundo broadcast stations.

About PointsBet
PointsBet is one of the fastest growing sportsbooks in the country and is rapidly expanding its U.S. footprint, now bringing its best-in-market proprietary technology, modernized and premium brand mentality, expert trading practices and proven growth marketing strategies to both the Illinois sports betting market and the notoriously passionate Chicago-area sports fans. Originally founded in Australia, PointsBet is a cutting-edge bookmaker that prides itself on having the quickest and most user-friendly app (iOS and Android) while also providing the best content and experience for sports bettors. PointsBet is the only U.S. online bookmaker to offer PointsBetting – a unique and innovative way to bet – and has also introduced a slew of well-received, bettor-first initiatives. PointsBet offers the most markets on all four major U.S. sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) and PointsBetting in the world, including up to 1,000 markets per NBA game.

About Hawthorne Race Course
Founded in 1891, Hawthorne Race Course is the oldest sporting venue in Illinois for America's original sport: horseracing.   For more than a century, the 4th generation family-owned and operated business has hosted racing on the border of the City as "Chicago's hometown track," which features traditional dirt racing and the 2nd longest homestretch in North America.  Currently, Hawthorne is the only race course in the nation to host both Thoroughbred (Spring, Fall, Winter) and Standardbred racing (Summer), and operates Illinois' largest network of off-track betting parlors.  On July 30, 2020, the Illinois Gaming Board approved Hawthorne to move forward with development of the State's first race track casino and sportsbook.  For more information visit HawthorneRaceCourse.com. 

SOURCE PointsBet