Illinois Sportsbooks See $400.4 Million Handle In August 2021

• Illinois sportsbooks saw $400.4 million in wagers in August, up from the $369.1 million wagered in July.
• Online sportsbooks dominated the market, with 95% of total bets for August coming from mobile sportsbooks.
• DraftKings was the biggest sportsbook in August.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois sports betting fans were more active in August 2021 compared to July, as the total betting handle has seen a big increase.

Mobile and online betting continue to dominate the Illinois market. More than 95% of the total handle has come from online operators.

The Illinois sports betting industry was the second largest in terms of action in August, falling behind New Jersey. Both markets see more than 90% of their total handle come from online sportsbooks.

Illinois Sports Betting Spikes

Based on the official report released by the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB), $400.4 million was wagered on sports in Illinois in August. This is up month -over a month from the $369.1 million wagered in July.

Handle being up over 7.8% didn’t reflect in sports betting revenue, however, as just $26.8 million was reported in August. July saw $37.6 million in revenue, making this is a 28.7% decrease month-over-month.

Online Betting Dominates

Online sportsbooks are the main way Illinois gamblers get in on the action of sports gaming. Online sportsbooks generated $380.3 million of bets for August.

The primary sportsbook is DraftKings, which saw $146.6 million of the total online betting handle, claiming 39% of the market.

FanDuel saw $110.9 million for 29% of the market, putting them in second place. Interestingly enough, FanDuel reported more revenue than DraftKings with $9.3 million to $7.3 million in August.

BetRivers rounded out the top three with $64.8 million in wagers in August. BetRivers also reported $4.6 million in revenue for a 7.1% hold rate.

Illinois will soon be ending its in-person signup requirements. Based on Illinois law, sports betting fans must physically register at a land-based casino before they can start betting on sports online.

This requirement was initially suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed multiple executive orders in order to allow for remote registrations for these platforms in the state.

Remote signups will be the norm and Illinois betting is likely to boom, even more, when the requirement is lifted permanently. Online sports wagering already dominates the industry but now it will becoming a bit more accessible.

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