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According to Sportshandle, Illinois generated nearly $765
million in traditional handle during May. That was the third
highest total in the country behind New York and New Jersey.
May is typically the beginning of a slowdown for sports
gambling, but the NBA playoffs and Major League Baseball helped
the Land of Lincoln come through with a solid month. About $375
million was bet on the two sports alone.
“Illinois’ handle was essentially higher in March and April, but
it did not decline as precipitously as other states have in
those months so the decline was actually less than 10%, which to
me was a little surprising,” Chris Altruda with Sportshandle
said.
May’s betting receipts created nearly $11 million worth of taxes
for the state.
Football is the most popular sport for betting in the U.S. The
return of the National Football League will no doubt boost
sports betting numbers in the fall. Altruda also thinks if more
sports betting outlets come online, Illinois will set records.
“It depends on the Illinois Gaming Board’s movement whether or
not there are additional operators in the state, so it is
possible another operator could enter the field by that point
and if they do it just raises the likelihood of a billion dollar
handle,” Altruda said.
Illinois set a new record for wagers in a single month earlier
this year when the NCAA College Basketball tournament helped
boost March’s handle to $971 million.
FanDuel was the top online operator in May, claiming nearly
$31.9 million in revenue.
Kevin Bessler reports on statewide issues in Illinois for the
Center Square. He has over 30 years of experience in radio news
reporting throughout the Midwest. |
