Sports betting in Illinois roared back to life in September after a slower summer and pushed US handle past $5 billion for the month.
Illinois sportsbooks reported $596.5 million in handle, good for their second-best month after this March’s $633.6 million.
Sports betting revenue hit $44.6 million for a 7.5% hold. Operators paid $6.5 million in state and local taxes, according to the state report.
US sports betting handle for September was $5.2 billion with $411.9 million in revenue, both of which are records. The month is not finished, either, as results from the first weeks of Arizona sports betting will not be known until later in November.
Illinois sports betting places third
Illinois slid into the third-place spot with its report, passing Pennsylvania’s $578.8 million wagered.
| State | Sept. 2021 handle | Sept. 2020 handle | Difference | Sept. 2021 revenue | Sept. 2020 revenue | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $1,011,114,311 | $748,588,349 | 35.1% | $82,440,420 | $45,083,178 | 82.9% |
| Nevada | $786,508,562 | $575,144,025 | 36.7% | $54,205,000 | $32,895,000 | 64.8% |
| Illinois | $596,455,694 | $305,222,938 | 95.4% | $44,579,564 | $6,837,289 | 552.0% |
| Pennsylvania | $578,760,746 | $462,787,392 | 25.1% | $48,113,670 | $18,277,566 | 163.2% |
| Colorado | $408,314,625 | $207,655,943 | 96.6% | $22,658,630 | $4,166,334 | 443.9% |
| Michigan | $386,780,231 | $33,503,929 | 1054.4% | $27,138,074 | $4,376,407 | 520.1% |
| Indiana | $355,425,184 | $207,450,106 | 71.3% | $33,878,239 | $14,283,702 | 137.2% |
| Virginia | $293,851,531 | N/A | N/A | $30,929,243 | N/A | N/A |
| Tennessee | $257,300,000 | N/A | N/A | $25,600,000 | N/A | N/A |
| Iowa | $210,434,586 | $72,397,241 | 190.7% | $5,716,038 | $5,167,819 | 10.6% |
| New Hampshire | $68,123,241 | $41,373,620 | 64.7% | $3,767,115 | $2,290,364 | 64.5% |
| West Virginia | $60,072,261 | $76,951,429 | -21.9% | $7,141,066 | $4,603,811 | 55.1% |
| Mississippi | $54,835,753 | $52,220,289 | 5.0% | $8,846,121 | $6,598,931 | 34.1% |
| Rhode Island | $41,203,997 | $31,293,150 | 31.7% | $4,012,295 | $2,352,788 | 70.5% |
| Oregon | $25,070,339 | $26,174,303 | -4.2% | $1,259,744 | $1,527,243 | -17.5% |
| Washington DC | $20,706,483 | $15,455,160 | 34.0% | $3,883,674 | $1,804,299 | 115.2% |
| New York | $17,355,782 | $10,092,604 | 72.0% | $3,187,045 | $1,403,543 | 127.1% |
| Delaware | $13,702,755 | $12,439,302 | 10.2% | $3,202,534 | $1,972,198 | 62.4% |
| Arkansas | $7,007,774 | $3,958,748 | 77.0% | $809,404 | $397,095 | 103.8% |
| Wyoming | $6,242,469 | N/A | N/A | $-123,960 | N/A | N/A |
| Montana | $3,020,000 | $2,450,000 | 23.3% | $560,000 | $303,000 | 84.8% |
| South Dakota | $443,365 | N/A | N/A | $71,320 | N/A | N/A |
| Total | $5,202,729,689 | $2,878,749,780 | 80.7% | $411,875,236 | $153,640,472 | 168.1% |
A same-store comparison including only states live with sports betting last year shows $4.6 billion bet, up 61%. Sports betting revenue jumped 130.3% to $355.4 million.
As expected, football dominates
It would be hard to find a state where football is not king in September. Illinois is no exception.
Football accounted for $230.6 million in handle, or 38.7% of the total. That share is likely even higher with some football handle tied up in the $125.7 million of parlay bets reported.
While operators held just 4.3% on football, parlay hold was a chunky 19.6%.
The split between NFL betting and college football betting is not broken out. College football typically accounts for the vast majority of college betting in September. Illinois bettors wagered $94.9 million on college events in September.
The final month of regular-season MLB play gave baseball the third spot with $115.9 million bet.
In-person registration gets firm end date
As long as Gov. JB Pritzker signs off, mobile sports betting registration will return before March Madness betting next year.
HB 3136 passed both chambers in late October with IL sports betting amendments. One ends in-person registration March 5, 2022 while another allows pregame bets on in-state colleges at retail sportsbooks.
Pritzker suspended in-person registration for months during the height of the pandemic, but ended that suspension in April.
