Illinois Sets State Record, Joins Billion-Dollar Sports Betting Club

Figures recently reported by the Illinois Gaming Board show the state’s retail and online sports betting sites handled $1.03 billion in wagers during October — the first time Illinois has broken the billion-dollar mark in a single month.

After getting a big boost in September from the return of football, legal sports betting in the Prairie State posted record-setting numbers in October — and joined some rarified air. 

Figures recently reported by the Illinois Gaming Board show the state’s retail and online sports betting sites handled $1.03 billion in wagers during October, the first time that sports betting in Illinois has ever surpassed $1 billion in handle for a single month... and becoming only the fourth state ever (along with New York, New Jersey, and Nevada) to accomplish the feat. 

The billion-dollar month is a 19.2% increase from Illinois' monthly handle in September, and about $160 million more than October 2021, while the adjusted gross revenue also soared (from $118.3 million to $153.9 million) by 30.1% MoM, thanks to a 14.9% win rate (which is an improvement on September's 13.7% hold).

This all resulted in taxes being paid to the state for the month amounting to $15.3 million, in addition to just over $1 million to Cook County, where Chicago is located.

FanDuel back on top

After DraftKings usurped FanDuel for the most handle in September, things returned to the natural order in October, as FanDuel generated $328.6 million in wagers, just topping DraftKings' number of $324.1 million.

Football — both professional and college — unsurprisingly led the way in October, comprising $358.2 million in handle for the month, followed by basketball ($114.4 million) and then tennis, which created $85.2 million in wagers... better than the nearly $79 million wagered on baseball.

Parlays also accounted for a large chunk of the billion-dollar month, accounting for $259.3 million of the state's overall action.