It was in early December 2020 when word was released that the Ameristar Casino in East Chicago was going to be the location of a Barstool Sportsbook. While this is of particular interest to residents of East Chicago, it also means that the 30-minute drive from downtown Chicago is not going to harm the reach of this retail sports betting venue. What makes the location even more interesting is that East Chicago is not in Illinois. It is in Indiana. So, although Barstool is promoting the Ameristar sportsbook operation as a site being launched in Illinois, technically, it is not in that state at all. Will that slow down traffic from Chicago and other parts of Chicagoland? Probably not and that is what makes this announcement so interesting. Barstool has eyes on the Chicago marketplace and chose to partner with Ameristar to gain access to that giant sports betting fan base.
Speaking Of Barstool In Illinois
The East Chicago launch will likely be a test at first for Barstool to see if there is a market for their sportsbook in the region. We say that because the smart money is on Barstool partnering with either the Hollywood Casino in Aurora or Joliet when they get approved to expand into Illinois. But if you do the math, you will also note that the East Chicago location happens to be closer to downtown Chicago than either of the Hollywood Casinos. Sure, we’re talking about a difference of 15-minutes, but that can still have an impact on the amount of traffic flowing to any of the Barstool sites. If numbers are what Barstool is after, and for any retail sportsbook, you will be keen on tapping the numbers, East Chicago is on the edge of the most populous city in the state (the third most populous city in the United States). Aurora and Joliet are not far behind as they happen to be two of the five most populous cities in Illinois. When market share matters, you want to be near people and that means big volumes of people in their natural habitat.
How COVID-19 Impacts Ameristar
Okay, so far, it sounds like a no-brainer. Barstool is going to set up a sportsbook at Ameristar Casino East Chicago. That is close to the metropolitan area of Chicago but is not in the state of Illinois. But you should be able to just hop in the car and make the half-hour trip to Ameristar and start sports betting to your heart’s delight. Well, in a normal world, that would be the standard course of action. However, we are not currently living in a normal world. Coronavirus, the pandemic, has changed everything from how we get together to how we eat and work. Forms of entertainment, such as gambling at land-based casinos, have been hit hard by COVID-19 restrictions. In Indiana, all casinos are open. In Illinois, all ten casinos in the state were closed in November. While there have been openings in Illinois, there are capacity limits that have kept away a lot of bettors or turned them into online bettors, which is not so bad, either. But here’s the real kicker if you are considering our suggestion of just making a road trip to the Ameristar Casino for the day.
The Equation Has To Include Quarantine Time
Yes, that’s right. If you live in Chicagoland and hop over the Indiana state line for some entertainment in the form of gambling, that’s great. But once you get back into Illinois, you have to quarantine for a total of 14 days. That most certainly puts a damper on that weekend getaway or night of gambling with the girls or the guys from work. Spoiler Alert: You didn’t hear this from us…but enforcement of the “mandatory” quarantine has been, shall we say, a tad on the weak side. That doesn’t mean you should tempt fate and head over to Indiana tonight to try your luck, either. Besides, the sportsbook currently operating out of the Ameristar Casino East Chicago isn’t even branded Barstool at the moment. However, Barstool keeps promising that the changes are coming “soon” and it’s up in the air as to what time measuring device they are using. Oh, and there may be a good reason why Barstool hasn’t suddenly splashed their team colors and branding signage all over the Ameristar site quite yet.
The Casinos In Indiana May Still Close
Yup. That’s right. COVID-19 is still calling the shots and with an infection rate in Chicagoland that is hovering around 10%, you can bet that East Chicago has numbers that are probably in that territory. To give you a better idea of where the Ameristar sits at the moment, Indiana uses a color system to identify the level of infection in each county. Those counties that are designated red are at the top of the scale. That means, they are at the most dangerous phase and red counties suffer from closures and restrictions that far exceed other phases of the COVID-19 scale. East Chicago, where the Ameristar Casino is located, is in Lake County. Lake County, the last time we checked, was a red county. It won’t take much to see venues closed and all kinds of restrictions in place that will virtually take the Ameristar Casino off the map for a while. Looking at it from the perspective of Barstool, it makes sense to hold off on the big opening at Ameristar if the casino ends up getting closed days later.
Illinois Remains On The Radar
Barstool still intends to expand into Illinois sometime in 2021. The product will do well in the state based on several factors. First, Illinois has exploded in the sports gambling industry. The state continues to set records monthly with astronomical handle figures. Second, the Barstool brand is huge. Barstool is the third-largest sportsbook in Pennsylvania trailing only FanDuel and DraftKings. Third, the Ameristar location gives Barstool easy access to a huge population. And, finally, the sportsbook market is far from over-saturated at this point. That means there is still room for more players to get positioned as Illinois continues to embrace sports wagering in all its forms.
