The first ever sports betting facility in Illinois opened for business today in Des Plaines. The Bet Rivers Sportsbook at Rivers Casino started taking bets at noon after the opening ceremony at 10:00 a.m. There will be five betting windows in the sportsbook and a total of 30 sportsbook kiosks. Bet Rivers will launch the Illinois BetRivers.com website and mobile app later this year. Illinois legislators approved sports gaming last year, but regulation concerns led the Illinois Gaming Board to delay when bets could start being taken.