Illinois sports betting handle exceeds $7bn in 2021

Illinois sportsbooks rounded up 2021 with a$789.6m in handle for December, pushing the full-year total over $7bn.

US.- With a $789.6m handle, Illinois clinched its place in the top 3 states with the biggest sports betting handles in December, behind New Jersey and Nevada. According to the figures released by the Illinois Gaming Board, the figure took yearly wagers for 2021 over the $7bn mark.

The amount of wagers in December marked an increase of 60.6 per cent year-on-year and 1.2 per cent month-on-month, from November’s $779.8m. It was the second highest handle in Illinois’ history. Daily betting volume averaged $25.5m per day, down from $26m per day in November.

The end result in December was $33.7m in taxable revenue, which yielded $5.4m in state and local taxes. Gross gaming revenue was down 53 per cent from November’s record-breaking $78.2m figure.

For 2021, Illinois’ retail and online sportsbooks recorded $7.02bn in online and retail wagers, up 273 per cent from $1.9bn in 2020. Illinois recorded $6.7bn in online wagers, up from $1.8bn in 2020. Sports wagers generated $84.7m in state and local taxes, up from $20.2m in 2020.

See also: Illinois sports betting revenue reaches record in November