Illinois’s sports betting handle reached a record $581.6m in January, while the US state also saw revenue reach an all-time high of $49.4m during the month.
Revenue in January amounted to $49.4m, more than double the $23.9m posted in December last year, though the previous month’s figures were impacted by the temporary closure of casinos due to novel coronavirus (Covid-19) measures.
Online wagering accounted for $47.1m of total revenue for the month, whereas retail sportsbooks only contributed $860,392 in revenue.
In terms of operators, the Par-A-Dice Gaming Corporation, which runs a FanDuel sportsbook, led the market with $16.8m in revenue.
Casino Queen and DraftKings ranked second with $15.6m in revenue, ahead of Midwest Gaming & Entertainment and Rush Street Interactive on $10.8m.
Operators paid a total of $7.7m in tax during January, with the majority of this ($7.2) based on the state’s base 15% tax rate, and the remaining $479,052 from an additional 2% tax on bets placed in Cook County, which includes Chicago.
Looking at the state’s handle, players spent $575.2m betting on sports via online platforms in January, while just $9.4m was bet at land-based sportsbooks across Illinois.
Consumers wagered a total of $441.1m on professional sports during the month, while $140.4m was spent on collegiate sports events. The remaining $13,383 was attributed to bets on motor racing.
Basketball was the most popular sport to bet on in January, attracting $230.0m in bets.
The National Football League play-offs also took place in January, helping bring in $159.0m in wagers on football, while parlay betting accounted for $109.2m in bets.