Fairmount Park Marks FanDuel’s Second Retail Location In Illinois

• Fairmount Park and FanDuel have formed a partnership that gives the race track a sports betting license with FanDuel as the sportsbook operator.
• COVID-19 has affected many casinos in Illinois due to the rising cases in a majority of regions around the state.
• The gaming board is dealing with COVID-19 related delays which is why other casinos are still waiting on their licenses.

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. – Fairmount Park has partnered with FanDuel and received its sports betting license in Illinois to officially become a racino.

The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) granted Fairmount Park its master sports wagering license on October 29 at a time where many are facing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

This license will allow FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing to operate the park making FanDuel the first sportsbook to offer sports betting at more than one retail venue in the state and is located right outside of the St. Louis, MO city limits.

FanDuel Sportsbook currently operates a land-based casino at Par-A-Dice casino and a statewide mobile sports betting app. Those living in St. Louis can cross the border to bet on sports in their upcoming Fairmount Park location and use the app as well.

Currently, eight of the 10 casinos in Illinois have reduced capacity limits and daily hours as COVID-19 cases rise in a majority of the state so there has been a reduction in revenue.

In this deal that brought a legal sports betting license for Fairmount, it was also agreed upon to offer the track “preliminary suitable” status to add casino games. The other casinos in the state will still have to wait for their casino license from the Illinois Gaming Board

The coronavirus pandemic is affecting even the casinos that aren’t waiting for a state license and with the increased restrictions made by Governor J.B. Pritzker, two more Illinois sportsbooks could face new reductions to their hours of operation.

News tags: COVID-19 | Fairmount Park | FanDuel | Illinois | Illinois Gaming Board | Marcus Fruchter | Melissa Helton