|
According to figures from the Illinois Gaming Board, the state
took in nearly $565 million in gross gaming revenue in August,
about $8 million more than New Jersey. New York led the country
with revenue of more than $877 million.
Dave Briggs from PlayIllinois.com said it is an impressive feat
considering the infancy of Illinois sports betting.
“We are really only talking about going back to March of 2020
when this all started, so to already pass such an established
sports betting area as New Jersey, that really shows it's got
quite a future,” Briggs said.
Illinois sportsbooks have now exceeded $1 billion in gross
gaming revenue for online activity since sports betting began.
Ninety-four percent of all sports bets in Illinois have been
made online.
In March of this year, a law was enacted that allowed Illinois
residents to sign-up online for sportsbooks, rather than having
to do so in-person at one of the state’s land-based casinos.
Briggs said he expects September’s numbers to be impressive.
“We are just talking August numbers, so there was no NFL yet,
and when they come in they have to be huge,” Briggs said. “The
first week of betting just on the NFL, there were some numbers
floating around that it was up substantially in Illinois.”
Illinois sportsbooks have produced nearly $175 million in tax
revenue for state and local governments since the industry
launched. All tax funds go into a Sports Wagering Fund. On the
25th of each month, any money in that fund in excess of the
anticipated monthly expenditures from the fund through the next
month are transferred to the Capital Projects Fund.
Briggs said with more sportsbooks coming online in Illinois, the
state has a chance to surpass Pennsylvania into third place in
terms of lifetime sports betting revenue.
Since the beginning of legal sports betting, over $157 billion
has been bet in the United States. Currently, 26 states allow
sports betting.
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.
|
|
