The Illinois sports betting market saw handle and revenue continue to grow in October.
According to the latest figures from the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB), bettors in the state wagered $434m on sports in October, representing a 42% month-on-month increase on the $305m wagered in September.
Illinois’ sports betting handle managed to push the total US sports betting handle in October up to $3.25bn, up 12% from September’s total US handle.
Sportsbooks in Illinois managed to generate a combined $42.2m in revenue, a significant increase on the $6.8m generated in September.
Sports betting operators in Illinois paid $6.3m to the state in terms of tax revenue.
Online makes up 90% of handle
The majority of sports wagers were placed online with bettors in the state wagering $335.8m on professional sports, $73.8m on collegiate sporting events and $231,108 on motorsports via online and mobile sportsbooks.
Illinois’ online handle growth was likely helped by the decision made by Governor J.B. Pritzker to extend the executive order suspending the in-person registration requirement for online betting.
Land-based sports betting handle remained limited in October mainly due to venue closures and restrictions as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the report, bettors who placed bets in person wagered, $19.9m on professional sports, $4.9m on college sports and $18,581 on motorsports.
How did sportsbooks perform?
DraftKings managed to dethrone Rush Street’s BetRivers sportsbook as the most popular betting platform in the state.
Bettors wagered $141.4m with DraftKings, nearly a full third of the state’s total October handle while generating $11.5m in revenue.
BetRivers slipped to second place in terms of handle after bettors wagered $115.5m with the sportsbook in October. However, when it comes to revenue, BetRivers took first place after generating $12.9m in sports betting revenue.
FanDuel and its partner Par-A-Dice Casino took third place in October after generating $11.1m in revenue from $105.5m in sports wagers.
