Illinois sports betting handle hits new record

The state’s gaming board has reported more than $491.7m wagered on events in December 2020.

US.- The state of Illinois set a new state record in December with bettors wagering $491.7m on sports, up 9.5 per cent from November.

With casinos closed due to Covid-19 pandemic, the handle was generated through mobile wagering.

Sportsbooks generated $28.4m in revenue, down from $37m in November as the win rate plunged from 9.1 per cent to 4.86 per cent.

For the full-year 2020, Illinois sportsbooks took $1.9bn in bets and generated $125.5m in taxable revenue.

The total US sports betting handle for December hit $3.77bn, up from $3.46bn in November. It was the third straight month the national handle topped $3.2bn.

Sports betting is now legal in 19 states in the US. New Jersey saw the largest handle in December at US$996.3m