Illinois sports betting continued its rapid growth in October, with handle climbing 42% month-on-month to a record $434 million.
The state reports its figures last of all US markets, meaning the final tally for nationwide handle in October was $3.25 billion. That’s up 12% from September, itself a record tally.
Illinois sportsbooks turned that $434 million handle into $42.2 million in revenue, thanks to a near 10% hold rate.
In short, the NFL season has not been kind to bettors. Football accounted for 44% of all handle.
Meanwhile, the state collected $6.3 million in tax for the month, according to the Illinois Gaming Board report.
Mobile betting still dominates
In now familiar fashion, mobile betting dominated the market, contributing more than 90% of handle. IL sports bettors are currently allowed to sign up for sportsbooks remotely, despite the initial intention of the law.
For comparison, Illinois’ October handle was fourth largest among US states after New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania. It was around half the size of New Jersey, and roughly double the size of Colorado and nearby Indiana.
Indeed, the growth of Illinois doesn’t appear to have had hugely negative impact on IN sports betting so far. The Hoosier state posted another record of $230.9 million in handle for October.
BetRivers, DraftKings on top in Illinois sports betting
There is a clear three-way top tier within the IL sports betting market.
BetRivers was the narrow revenue leader in October with $12.9 million, though the Rush Street-operated brand has seen its share slowly dwindle since being first to market. At $115.5 million, it had the second-largest percentage of statewide handle (24.3%).
DraftKings handled $141.4 million, though — nearly one full third of the total — while amassing $11.5 million in revenue.
The two leaders are trailed closely by FanDuel, which generated $11.1 million in revenue on $105.5 million in handle.
PointsBet came in fourth with $5.1 million in revenue for the month.
