Illinois’ sports betting market broke its sports betting handle record again in December 2020.
According to the latest figures from the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB), Illinois bettors wagered a record $492m on sporting events in December 2020.
December’s handle marked an almost 10% increase on the $449m wagered in November despite the closure of all land-based casinos in the state due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In terms of revenue, sportsbooks managed to generate $28.4m in December down from $37m in November.
For 2020, Illinois sportsbooks processed $1.9bn in bets and held onto $125.5m in taxable revenue.
DraftKings continues to lead the market
The daily fantasy provider turned sportsbook giant was once again the market leader when it comes to betting handle. In December, DraftKings processed $193.7m up from the $166.2m wagered in November. DraftKings managed to generate $6.9m in revenue making it the second-highest performing operator in December.
FanDuel took second place in December after bettors wagered $143.1m with the sportsbook, marking a 25.1% month-on-month increase in handle. Although FanDuel took second place for handle, the operator took first place for revenue with $7.1m in taxable revenue.
BetRivers took third place after processing $110.6m in bets, however, this was down significantly from the $125.95m wagered in November. The Rush Street sportsbook managed to generate $6.8m in sports betting revenue.
PointsBet took $31.9m in bets and held onto $2.4m in revenue while William Hill generated $580,000 in revenue from $7.6m in bets.
What did people bet on?
When it came to individual sports football was the most popular to bet on with sportsbooks processing just over $200m in bets and holding on to $6.2m in revenue.
Basketball trailed behind with $143.5m in bets and $4.6m in taxable revenue.
Parlays were the next most popular category in December, with bettors wagering $89m on parlays and the sportsbooks holding onto $14m.
Soccer was the fourth most popular sport to bet on in Illinois with $29m in bets placed and sportsbooks generating $4.6m in revenue.
Illinois sportsbooks did, however, make a loss on the “other” category. According to the state report, sportsbooks paid out $17.3m in winning bets after bettors wagered a combined $13m on other sports.
