As DraftKings Sportsbook waits for proper sports betting licensing to operate at Wrigley Field, and FanDuel Sportsbook is doing the same for its United Center lounge, many Illinoisans are wondering what’s taking so long.
We have status updates on each pending application for the two future Illinois sportsbooks. Plus, they’ll be the firsts of their kind, as no other sports stadium in the Land of Lincoln allows you to place wagers in physical sportsbooks at the facility.
Of course, you could always pull up your preferred mobile betting app and place the wager from within the stadium. But no IL sports venue allows you to place the wager with a cashier or a kiosk.
But that’s due to change soon.
Update on DraftKing’s Wrigley Field Sportsbook
The fans are rushing to get the best seats in the Wrigley Field bleachers, and the ivy on the outfield wall is starting to blossom. Yet, the Wrigley Field DraftKings Sportsbook, located on the corner of Addison St and Sheffield Ave, remains closed.
It would’ve been ideal for the sportsbook’s grand opening to coincide with the Cubs‘ Opening Day on March 30. But that’s not how it works. DraftKings must wait until the proper sports betting licensing is acquired from the Illinois Gaming Board.
Beth Kaufman, director of communications for the IGB, said this in a statement to PlayIllinois:
“We have received an application for Wrigley Field and will update the website with information about the applicant soon. As you know in regard to timelines, we do not comment on the status of pending applications.”
As Kaufman mentioned, the IGB’s website doesn’t yet list DraftKings as a license applicant under the ‘Sports Facilities’ tab. But DK announced its intentions to open a sportsbook at Wrigley Field in 2020.
Plus, if you take a trip to Addison and Sheffield, the large green sportsbook jetting out from Wrigley’s right field concourse, and the DK signage on the buildings exterior are a dead giveaway regarding which operator is awaiting a gaming license.
DraftKings Wrigley Field’s exterior was under construction for a while, but it appears to be completely finished. However, looking through the windows and into the interior shows there’s still work to be done.
FanDuel’s United Center Sportsbook waiting for license approval
Unlike the Friendly Confine’s DraftKings Sportsbook, the United Center’s FanDuel venue is already open. You just can’t place wagers with a cashier or at a kiosk.
The FanDuel Lounge is in the United Center Atrium, located on the south side of the building. However, it’s only open to guests while the UC hosts an event, like a Bulls or Blackhawks game.
FD does have larger aspirations for the space, as it too is awaiting sportsbook licensing approval from the IGB. Here’s what Kaufman told PlayIllinois about FanDuel’s United Center application status:
“FanDuel is the designee of the sport facility applicant for the United Center. We received the United Center Sport Facility sports wagering application on August 10, 2022 and it remains a pending applicant.”
