Illinois Sports Betting Handle Surpasses $1 Billion for Ninth Consecutive Month

In May, Illinois saw its sports betting handle exceed $1.00 billion (£781.9m/€924.5m) for the ninth straight month, despite a slight month-on-month decline in stakes. The total handle reached $1.02 billion, representing a 21.9% increase from the $821.7 million staked in the same month last year. However, this figure reflects an 8.9% decrease from the $1.10 billion wagered in April.

Online betting dominated, with $985.7 million placed through the state’s eight approved internet operators, according to the Illinois Gaming Board. An additional $31.0 million was wagered at licensed retail locations across Illinois.

Professional sports betting accounted for $1.01 billion of all wagers in May, with $980.7 million bet online and $30.9 million through retail sportsbooks. College sports attracted $3.7 million in wagers, including $3.6 million online and $62,935 at retail locations. Motor racing bets totaled $1.4 million.

Adjusted gross revenue for May reached $100.9 million, marking a 13.4% increase from the previous year and a 9.7% rise from April, despite the decrease in handle. The market hold was 9.9%.

Online betting contributed $98.1 million to the May revenue, while retail betting accounted for $2.8 million. Cook County, including Chicago with its population of 2.7 million, generated $54.3 million of the total revenue for the month.