Sports Illustrated Sportsbook To Move Into Virginia Betting Market
Author: Dean Carr
Last Updated: 3rd December 2021
Most members of the public will still associate the Sports Illustrated brand with the sports magazine owned by Authentic Brands Group.
SI is one of America’s most popular and long-standing magazines having published their first copy in August 1954. Since then, they have become an institution of the American sports culture, with it still being considered to be a huge privilege to be the cover athlete of one of their releases.
However, some may have missed the news that Sports Illustrated have become the latest entity in America to enter the world of sports betting. Many media outlets are recognising the ability to profit from the now legal practise in more than half of the nation’s states, with both Disney and Twitter eyeing the possibility of infiltrating the gambling market.
888 Holdings operate the Sports Illustrated sportsbook and debuted their services in September when they launched their online product in Colorado. They are now looking to expand their operations and have targeted Virginia as the next market that they will move into. 888 Holdings are hopeful of a starting date in 2022.
“We are delighted to have been awarded our license by the Virginia Lottery,” Yaniv Sherman, SVP, Head of U.S. at 888 said in a media release. “This is an important milestone for 888 which enhances our foothold in the US online sports betting and iGaming market.
Terms and Conditions
Make a qualifying deposit (min $10), place bets to deposit value, once they are settled, matched amount in Bet Credits available to use. Bet Credits risk excluded from returns. T&Cs apply“There is a growing sports betting fanbase in the state and I firmly believe that SI Sportsbook, supported by our partners at Sports Illustrated, will offer a unique and differentiated experience to our customers which will be well-received.”
Virginia has been active in welcoming new sportsbooks to the state in recent times. Bally Bet officially went live on Monday just in time for Thanksgiving, making it the 10th sportsbook to launch in the state.
The Virginia Lottery also announced at the end of October that there would be even more sportsbooks coming to the state over the next few months. Temporary permits were approved for both PointsBet and Digital Gaming Corporation in November, which could see both arrive in the state soon.
Virginia’s handle numbers have steadily increased as well, with $294 million being wagered over the course of September thanks to a busy College Football and NFL schedule. That has taken the state’s entire sports betting handle to $1.95 billion and they have inevitably already passed the $2 billion mark since those figures were released.
