Illinois sports betting handle reaches $840m record in October

Illinois has reported a record monthly handle of $840.4m, up 40.9 per cent from September’s $596.5m and 93.4 per cent from October 2020.

US.- Sports betting in Illinois reached new highs in October. With a handle of $840.4m, the state sportsbooks saw wagers increase by 40.9 per cent month-on-month (September 2021 $595.5m) and 93.4 per cent year-on-year from $434.6m in October 2020.

The previous sports betting handle record was set in March, when Illinois sportsbooks generated $633.6m. The online sports betting handle reached a record $803.4m in October, an increase of 41 per cent from September’s $569.9m and 24.6 per cent from October 2020’s $409.8m. Previously, Illinois’ online handle record was $609m, again set in March 2021.

The US national sports betting handle for October (excluding Arizona, which has yet to report its October figures) stands at $7bn, a 36.5 per cent increase from September’s $5.2bn.

According to figures from the Illinois Gaming Board, the state’s gross gaming revenue for October was $52.6, another new monthly record for the state. That’s an increase of 31.5 per cent from September’s figure (nearly $40m) and 24.6 per cent from October 2020 ($42.2m). The state’s sports betting tax revenue was $8.6m, an increase of 31.2 per cent from September’s $6.5m.

The most popular sport for betting in Illinois was football, taking in $330.1m in wagers. Basketball came second with $93.3m. The podium was completed by baseball, with $77.6m, Tennis ($53.4m) and soccer ($36.2m) rounded out the top five, while other sports made up $28.1m. Parlay bets accounted for $188.7m.

See also: Illinois sports betting handle reaches $595.5m in September