Maybe you shouldn’t invite DraftKings CEO and co-founder Jason Robins to any party thrown by Rush Street Gaming. Seems he has issues with the competitors’ actions in Illinois.
It happened on August 21, after Governor J.B. Pritzker rolled back the requirement that customers must register for sports betting accounts in person, a requirement Rush Street supported.
Rush Street responded to Sports Handle August 24 by attacking DraftKings. “Rush Street has never been asked to leave a state, pays taxes on every wager, and has not been named in multiple consumer class action suits.”
DraftKings last week mounted a grassroots campaign to encourage patrons to request re-instatement of an order to allow remote registration. The order lapsed July 27.
The flip-flop in Illinois sent mixed signals to operators.
“Illinois continues to triumph in bad policy,” said consultant Brendan Bussmann of Global Market Advisors. “Creating an anti-competitive market should never be the goal of any stakeholder, especially when it comes to sports betting. Playing pandemic political games that circumvent legislative intent through executive overreach is just as bad.”
Pritzker’s change of heart benefits DraftKings, whose casino partner, Casino Queen, is located five hours from Chicago. With the order back, DraftKings will attempt to sway a lot of bettors to sign up for their mobile sportsbook.
