Illinois sports betting handle drops to $679m in February

After a record-breaking January, with a $867.5m sports betting handle, figures dropped 21.8 per cent in February.

US.- Illinois sportsbooks took $679m in bets in February. It’s the first time since September that the handle has fallen below $700m, a represents a 21.8 per cent drop from the record $867.5m wagered in January. The figures reported by the Illinois Gaming Board were however up 33.3 per cent from February 2021’s $509.8m.

Betting volume reached $23.4m per day, somewhat lower than January’s $28m-per-day figure. The mobile sports betting handle was $652.3m, 21.3 per cent less than January’s $829.1m, but 33.1 per cent higher than February 2021’s $490.2m.

Basketball was the most wagered on sport, generating in $289m of the handle. Football came in second at $50.6m, while tennis ($56.8m), soccer ($37.8m) and hockey ($28m) rounded out the top 5. Other sports combined for $55.1m, and the parlay handle came to $146.4m.

FanDuel and DraftKings led the ranking for operators. FanDuel accepted $212.5m in both retail and online bets, while DraftKings accepted $212.2m.

See also: DraftKings launches 6,000 square-foot sportsbook at Casino Queen in Illinois

Sports betting revenue was $35.6m, down 46.2 per cent from January’s $66.3m and 0.6 per cent lower from February 2021’s $35.4m. The state received more than $5.3m in taxes for the month, down 46.1 per cent from January’s $10.7m.

See also: Caesars Sportsbook launches mobile sports betting app in Illinois