If you’re looking for a Las Vegas sportsbook viewing experience but not looking to pay the airfare and deal with the madness of the strip, you’re in luck.
Over/Under Sports Bar in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood has brought a Vegas sportsbook vibe to Illinois.
Located at 2723 Halsted St., Over/Under has over 40 TVs wall-to-wall airing all the major sporting events of the day as well as the odds for all the games. It is located very close to the popular ‘Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!’ Spanish restaurant.
Over/Under also prides itself on its stadium-inspired food menu to match the gameday atmosphere in the bar. They offer anything from nachos, to salads, to fish tacos and everything between.
The opening kick. pic.twitter.com/T4WrAshyxf
— Over/Under Sports Bar (@OverUnderChi) January 20, 2022
They have no official affiliation with any casinos or sportsbooks, so placing over-the-counter bets at Over/Under will not be an option. But it has the makings of a popular spot for those with mobile betting accounts to try seeking some winning tickets.
Over/Under brands itself as “Chicago’s premier bar for the online betting enthusiast.”
For the time being, registration for mobile sports betting accounts can only be done in person. However, this rule is being lifted starting March 5 when new users can register from the comfort of their homes once again.
Sports betting booming in Illinois
Bars attempting to replicate the sportsbook viewing atmosphere have become increasingly popular recently.
The reason for this is the boom in sports betting since its legalization in Illinois in 2019. It’s projected that sportsbooks in Illinois will have a combined monthly handle of $1 billion at some point in 2022. Handle is the amount of money placed in wagers.
Bettors aren’t the only ones riding the highs. Sports betting had generated $630 million in operator revenue and nearly $100 million in tax revenue since 2020.
Many professional and college games were canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most notably, the entire 2020 NCAA March Madness Tournament was scrapped. With things seemingly back on track and fewer games being canceled, the revenue and tax numbers should only continue to balloon.
Barstool Sports capitalizing on the trend
Barstool founder Dave Portnoy was recently in Chicago to attend open weekend events at Bartool’s new bar in Chicago’s River North neighborhood.
Located at 18 Hubbard St., Barstool’s bar has been open for a little over three weeks now and is already a wildly popular spot. People are lining up to get their spots at the bar before it reaches capacity every weekend.
Barstool has partnered with Penn National Gaming to launch sportsbooks and mobile betting apps across the US in states that have legalized sports gambling. The bar in River North will not be a location to register a Barstool Sportsbook mobile account.
New users must head to Hollywood Casino Aurora to register.
