March Madness tipped off Wednesday with a record $2.72 billion expected to be legally wagered on the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments over the next two-and-a-half weeks, according to the American Gaming Association.
“We will continue to evaluate and plan for a retail sports betting area within the casino,” Mark Wong, vice president and general manager of Bally’s Chicago, said in a statement. “It is the largest sports betting moment on the calendar here in the U.S., simply due to the fact that you have 134 games across 18 days,” said Joe Maloney, AGA senior vice president.
People check out a Michael Jordan themed Bubba Wallace race car parked outside DraftKings Sportsbook and Wrigley Field before a game between the Cubs and Phillies, June 29, 2023. at Medinah Temple, Bally’s Chicago not only isn’t in the game, it hasn’t applied for its sports wagering license with the Illinois Gaming Board.
When Illinois approved sports wagering in 2019 as part of a sweeping gambling expansion bill, customers needed to sign up at a bricks-and-mortar sportsbook to bet online. But that in-person registration requirement was eliminated in 2022, opening the floodgates for the untethered downstate sportsbooks to woo Chicago-area customers.
Illinois gamblers legally bet $11.6 billion on sporting events last year, according to the Illinois Gaming Board.