A new sports betting system could soon "launch at thousands of lottery retailers" in Illinois, according to Mitchell Armentrout of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. Gamblers ages 21 and up will soon "be able to get in on the action at up to 5,000 gas stations, convenience stores and other retailers -- at least on a limited basis, as part of a program that's among the first of its kind" in the U.S. The new program is "limited to parlay wagers, meaning bettors pick the outcomes of multiple games as part of the same bet, and have to get each one right to win." Illinois bettors will "place their bets at electronic kiosks placed in up to 2,500 retailers that are authorized in the first year of the pilot." Another 2,500 retailers will be "eligible to join the action in the second year." Like the state's traditional sports-betting industry, lottery officials said that they "don't have a timeline for when the pilot could launch." They still have to "draft rules governing the sports that can be bet on, wager amounts and parlay sizes, among other things." Delaware is the only other state with a "comparable parlay-only, in-store lottery sports program," which is "limited to college and NFL football, with a $2 minimum wager and parlays of at least three selections" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/27).
