DraftKings Sportsbook is now partners with geolocation technology provider GeoComply, to ensure efficient registration for Illinois sports bettors.
With the state’s in-person registration requirement, new DraftKings bettors must travel to the rebranded DraftKings at Casino Queen in East St. Louis first.
However, with GeoComply, it isn’t necessary to wait in line at a registration window.
Instead, bettors can simply sign up from anywhere within the casino property. That’s possible with GeoComply’s “PinPoint,” which, according to the press release, “uses specialized Bluetooth beacons and software to ensure compliance with state regulations.”
Paul Liberman, the DraftKings co-founder and president of global technology and product, said:
“With PinPoint’s combination of Bluetooth beacons and back office software, GeoComply has provided us with a way to offer a more efficient mobile experience to our customers when they register for their account at the DraftKings at Casino Queen property. The PinPoint solution really streamlines the process and enables our customers to complete their registration quickly and efficiently on their mobile device, using digital ID verification.”
DraftKings Iowa is also partners with GeoComply in the Hawkeye State, which also requires in-person registration until the end of 2020. The sportsbook operator uses the service to make sure its customers place bets from within state borders.
“Whether geolocating a player on a casino property or helping them use their mobile device to set up their account, GeoComply’s PinPoint solution is designed to make the mobile experience seamless for both players and operators,” Sam Basile, the general manager of PinPoint at GeoComply, said.
Move comes after brief mobile registration period
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker issued an executive order that suspended the in-person betting registration requirement in early June.
In a surprising move (to some), Pritzker chose to let the executive order expire on July 27. At the time, BetRivers was the only Illinois online sportsbook. DraftKings is live now, but the online sportsbook wasn’t during the waiver period.
DraftKings obtained its master sports betting license on July 20. A few days later, it officially rebranded with Casino Queen to avoid the “penalty box.” But now, Chicagoland customers must drive more than four hours to East St. Louis if they’d like to bet with DraftKings.
Currently, DraftKings and BetRivers both use Kambi for lines, though that will change in the near future.
DraftKings second to Illinois mobile market
But admittedly, that’s a tad misleading when you look at the Illinois landscape.
BetRivers has a leg up on the competition. It was first to market, launched its mobile sports betting while mobile registration was allowed and is close to Chicago.
PointsBet is in a nice position, as its partner Hawthorne Racecourse was just approved for a master license; as is William Hill, whose retail book is live at Grand Victoria Casino Elgin.
It will be interesting to see what FanDuel does with the benefit of time.
One would expect it to partner with a casino or racetrack closer to the Chicagoland area than DraftKings did. There were previous reports that FanDuel might buy Fairmount Park Racetrack downstate, but we haven’t heard much buzz on that in a while.
FanDuel obtained its master license on the same day as DraftKings.
