Illinois sets record with more than $1 billion wagered on sports in October

Illinois bettors plunked down greater than $1 billion on sports activities in October, a brand new report for the state’s younger sports activities betting trade and one of many highest month-to-month figures recorded anyplace within the U.S. for the reason that trade was legalized, playing regulators introduced Thursday. 

The staggering month-to-month deal with — the overall amount of cash wagered — cements Illinois’ standing as one of many nation’s most bet-hungry sports activities markets, becoming a member of New York, New Jersey and Nevada as the one states to cross the billion-dollar mark in a single month. 

Illinois on line casino sportsbooks got here out forward for the month with greater than $102 million in income, Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter mentioned throughout a month-to-month assembly held by the company. 

The general home earnings for the month generated about $15 million in state tax income and one other roughly $1 million for Cook dinner County authorities. 

Illinoisans have now wagered nearly $17 billion on sports activities for the reason that trade launched within the state just some days earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. 

The state’s 12 sportsbooks have netted nearly $1.3 billion over that point, creating nearly $190 million in tax income. 

The October betting numbers — the newest out there from the gaming board — had been boosted largely by the primary full month of NFL video games. Soccer was the preferred sport to guess on, with a deal with of $358 million, adopted by basketball ($114 million) and tennis ($85 million). 

“It’s an unimaginable accomplishment for everybody concerned within the Illinois sports activities betting trade to exceed $1 billion in deal with,” mentioned Dave Briggs, an analyst for the sports activities betting web site PlayIllinois.com. “Betting on the NFL and the opening of each the NBA and NHL common seasons had been main catalysts behind the report month.”

Sports activities betting was legalized as a part of a large playing enlargement signed into legislation by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2019. 

Business insiders and authorities officers alike are banking in the marketplace to maintain booming as new sportsbooks are earmarked for Chicago’s main sports activities stadiums, and because the state solicits purposes for an online-only sports activities betting license. The sports activities betting apps which are marketed so ubiquitously throughout the airwaves and web at present function in Illinois solely in partnership with a brick-and-mortar on line casino or racetrack. 

Opponents be aware that the state’s sports activities betting explosion has additionally resulted in rising playing habit. Calls to the state’s playing habit hotline greater than doubled over the primary yr the trade was stay in Illinois.