Illinois sports betting handle breaks record in January
Sports betting figures were up significantly in Illinois in January, as gaming properties reopened mid-month.
US.- Illinois set another record sports betting handle in January, beating the previous record set in December 2020.
The Illinois Gaming Board revealed that the state generated a total of $581.6m in wagers in January, up from $491.7m in December.
Of the total handle, operators kept $49.4m in revenues. Online gambling accounted for most of the revenue at $47.1m, while retail sportsbooks generated just $860,392.
The figures reflect the fact that Illinois’ casinos were closed from November 15 to January 15 as Governor J.B. Pritzker closed all indoor entertainment venues due to a rise in Covid-19 cases.
DraftKings generated the largest handle at $244.2m, taking $16.4m in revenue. Second place in terms of handle was FanDuel with $173.3m, although it reported higher earnings than DraftKings at $16.9m.
In terms of sports, basketball brought in the most bets at $230m, followed by American football at $159m, soccer at $30m and hockey at $17.9m. Parlay betting brought in $109.2m
The state of Illinois received $7.2m in taxes under the 15 per cent rate on gross adjusted revenue – the amount left after winnings have been paid.
