Illinois Sports Betting Revenue Surpasses $1 Billion in September

September was a good month for Illinois’ sports betting revenue. Actually, it was more than good — it was record-breaking.

According to reports released by the Illinois Gaming Board, bettors in the Prairie State wagered approximately $1.078 billion in September.

This historic number represents the best month ever for Illinois in this space since legalized sports betting launched in the state in June 2019.

The increase also means that the handle was up 60% from the previous month and up 30% from a year ago in Sept. 2022.

Illinois Sports in September

Perhaps Illinois’ big betting boom in September can be at least partially attributed to the uptick in sports activity during the month.

By the time September rolled around, college football had been back in action for about a week, and the NFL followed with its Sept. 7, Thursday Night Football kickoff.

Additionally, MLB was in full swing as teams battled it out in the last full month before the postseason began.

Another major American sport that returned to play in September was the NHL. Players took the ice for preseason during the month, giving sports bettors another market where they could sprinkle some cash.

How Sportsbooks Measured Up

In September, FanDuel was the sportsbook operator that generated the most revenue for Illinois, as $32.4 million led all competitors in the state.

Popular operator DraftKings wasn’t too far behind as it generated $30.5 million in revenue in September. While that number trailed FanDuel, it did mark an all-time monthly high for DK.

BetRivers and BetMGM rounded out the top four, respectively, with $6.9 million in revenue for the former and more than $4.4 million in revenue for the latter.

Measuring up to Other States

While Illinois had a magnificent September, the $1.078 billion it racked up ranks third on the list for the month. New York led the way with $1.767 billion and New Jersey followed with $1.299 billion.

Fourth behind Illinois was Nevada with $811.4 million. In September, Pennsylvania’s $726.3 million was the fifth best.

Illinois Sports Betting Outlook

In Jan. 2023, Illinois generated $1.070 billion in betting. Before the state’s incredible September, January was the best month for the state. However, there have been six different months — including Jan. and Sept. of 2023 — in which Illinois exceeded the billion-dollar mark.

With that in mind, there’s a lot to look forward to for bettors. The NFL is headed into playoffs, the NBA season is as exciting as ever, NASCAR returns in February, and college basketball’s March Madness isn’t too far behind. And that’s just the tip of the sports iceberg.

Perhaps Jan. 2024 and the rest of next year will continue raising the betting bar in Illinois.

About the Author
Erica Renee Davis

Erica Renee Davis

Erica Renee Davis is a sports betting writer with Gaming Today. She graduated from the University of Georgia with degrees in Journalism and Political Science. After cheering as an NFL cheerleader for the Atlanta Falcons, Erica moved to Los Angeles where she became the host of Kevin Pollak's This Week In Football digital show. Since then, she has appeared as an on-air host and sports commentator for NASCAR Digital Media, FOX Bet, Spectrum News 1 SoCal, CNN, HLN, and TEGNA's Daily Blast Live.

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