LAS VEGAS, Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Football fueled
a surge in betting in September at Illinois sportsbooks, which combined to
generate nearly $600 million in
wagers. September's handle was short of the state record of
$633.6 million in March, dampened by
an in-person online registration rule that will likely be lifted on
March 5, according to PlayIllinois,
which tracks the state's regulated online gaming and sports betting
market.
"September will set a U.S. record for legal sports betting, and
Illinois was able to meet those
expectations," said Joe Boozell,
lead analyst for PlayIllinois.com. "But as strong as September's
results were, in-person registration continues to limit
Illinois' ceiling. Assuming the
governor signs the bill that will put an end to the rule on
March 5, Illinois will begin breaking through this
monthly handle plateau in spring."
Bettors poured $596.5 million in
wagers into Illinois retail and
online sportsbooks in September, up 95.4% from $305.2 million in September 2020 and up 49% from $400.4 million in August, according to official
data released Monday. September's handle equates to $19.9 million in bets per day, up from
$10.2 million per day in September 2020 and up from $12.9 million over the 31 days of August.
Accordingly, gross revenue rose 279.3% to $44.6 million in September from $11.8 million in September
2020 and up 36.3% from $32.7
million in August. That led to $40.0
million in adjusted gross revenue in September, yielding
$6.5 million in state and local
taxes.
With the first three weekends of the NFL and a full month of
college games played in September, football drew $230.6 million in wagers. That is up from just
$17.2 million in August. Baseball
attracted $115.9 million in bets,
down from $139.6 million in August.
Tennis ($55.3 million) and soccer
($34.3 million) also generated
significant interest.
"The NFL, and to a lesser extent college football, is
irreplaceable in its ability to motivate bettors," Boozell said.
"General interest in football helps Illinois' sportsbooks overcome the struggles
of the Chicago Bears, and the ban on betting on in-state college
teams. Plus, sportsbooks continued to capitalize on the playoff run
by the White Sox in September."
Only New Jersey ($1.01 billion) and Nevada ($786.7
million) attracted more bets during September than
Illinois, which surpassed
Pennsylvania's $578.8 million.
Since launching legal sports betting in 2020, Illinois has generated:
- $6.5 billion in wagers, fourth
most among all markets during that time
- $508.3 million in gross
revenue
- $78.3 million in state taxes
"With the end to in-person registration in sight, Illinois' future is awfully bright again,"
said Eric Ramsey, analyst for the
PlayUSA.com Network, which includes PlayIllinois.com. "It is not
difficult to imagine a world where it is again challenging the
nation's largest sports betting markets."
Online betting accounted for 95.5%, or $569.9 million, of the state's handle in
September. DraftKings/Casino Queen topped the state with
$236.5 million in combined online and
retail handle, up from $149.2 million
in August. That included an Illinois-best $232.1
million in online wagers. The operator took in $8.0 million in gross revenue on September's
bets, up from $11.3 million in
August.
FanDuel was again second with $156.2
million in online and retail wagers, up from $111.5 million in bets in August. $155.0 million of August's wagers came online.
FanDuel's combined handle created $18.0
million in gross revenue.
"DraftKings and FanDuel have been the main beneficiaries of
Illinois' relatively small roster
of operators, which is still absent some of the nation's largest
operators, including No. 3 BetMGM," Ramsey said. "Ideally, with the
latest changes there will be renewed interest in Illinois from operators."
For more, visit PlayIllinois.com/news.
About the PlayUSA Network:
The PlayUSA.com Network and
its state-focused branches is a leading source for news, analysis,
and research related to the market for regulated online gaming in
the U.S.
Media Contact:
Zack Hall, Catena Media,
775-338-0745 323361@email4pr.com
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SOURCE PlayIllinois.com