Illinois sports bettors wager new record in October
Illinois’ sports betting handle rose by 24 per cent to $1.03bn.
US.- Illinois sportsbooks took $1.03bn in bets in October, a 24 per cent increase from September’s handle of $831.8m. The figure reported by the Illinois Gaming Board makes Illinois the fourth US state to exceed $1bn in monthly bets, after Nevada, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
The online sports betting handle was up 23 per cent year-on-year to $989.3m, accounting for 96 per cent of the handle. Retail betting was up by 9 per cent to $40.3m. The numbers were boosted by the first full month of NFL games. Football was the most popular sport to bet on, with a handle of $358m, followed by basketball ($114m) and tennis ($85m).
Illinois sportsbooks generated more than $102m in revenue and $15m in state tax revenue. Players in Illinois have wagered almost $17bn on sports since the market launched in March 2020. The state’s 12 sportsbooks have netted almost $1.3bn in that time, generating almost $190m in tax revenue.
