DraftKings Is Rolling out an Unheard of Pre Launch Special in Illinois
DraftKings Sportsbook did not launch in Illinois yet, but they will begin accepting bets imminently, according to Bleacher Nation.
But that’s not stopping them from signing up new players with an unexpected $100 free bet pre launch special.
New users who register for DraftKings Sportsbook in Illinois before their official launch right here will receive a $100 free bet.
How DraftKings Sportbook’s $100 Free Bet in Illinois Works
This is somewhat straightforward, but it’s not quite obvious.
If you are in Illinois and sign up for DraftKings’ sports betting app ahead of their official launch, which is expected later this month or in August, you will be eligible to receive $100 to bet with for your first official wager. This is in addition to DraftKings Sportsbook’s usual $500 risk-free bet offer for new users and $500 deposit match.
The deposit match comes with a slew of play-through requirements and restrictions, but the total potential for new player bonuses in Illinois is $1,100— which is among the highest we’ve ever seen for a legal sports betting site.
Unprecedented Pre Launch Period
These sort of early registrations haven’t been present in other markets. Sports betting apps in Pennsylvania are notoriously heavily regulated, and I suspect the state wouldn’t have allowed an operator to accept registrations before they were official live. Ditto for NJ online sports betting.
But Illinois, which has rolled out legal online sports betting at an unexpected rate, seems more liberal in this regard.
By all accounts, DraftKings Sportsbook, which will officially be called DraftKings at Casino Queen Sportsbook, is active in the market… you just can’t place a bet yet.
Surely, the pre-launch special is a way to bring players in from the current only available online sportsbook in the state, BetRivers.
Fans would likely register anyway, but the $100 free bet off is just a sweetener.
There’s really no reason not to do this, since the bet doesn’t appear to have any strings attached to it. If you decide you like what you see and deposit money into the app, your first real bet will be up to $500 risk-free, with the deposit bonus.
Not bad.
Sign up DraftKings’ pre launch period in Illinois here.
