Sports betting reaches new heights in Illinois as earnings push over $300m in September

Sports betting is booming in Illinois. For the month of September, the state was able to generate $305.2 million bets, which pushed Illinois to the number four spot in the US when it comes to the industry. The Prairie State is actually the first to reach the $300m betting milestone the fastest after launching services, having just opened the industry back in July.

Help from a Busy Sports Calendar

The industry was pushed to new heights in part by a busy sports calendar. In September, there were several sports in action as well as multiple operator launches in the state. Remote registration remains in play and is helping to propel the industry forward.

The state now joins Pennsylvania, Nevada, and New Jersey as the only ones in the US to see over $300m in sports betting handle within a month. Surprisingly, Illinois was able to reach this milestone in just three months.

PlayIllinois.com lead analyst Dustin Gouker, commented on the results stating: “Pent-up demand is expected to fuel a new market, but Illinois has been able to capitalize on the additional demand that has been unleashed after sports were shut down this spring. It’s been a perfect storm for sportsbook operators.”

Quick Results in Illinois

The pent-up player demand must have been high in Illinois as they reached the milestone so quickly. It took New Jersey and Pennsylvania much longer to reach this milestone.

In Illinois, the bets brought in $6.8m in adjusted gross revenues. This was lower than August’s totals of $7.2m. A total of $11m was placed in the state coffers. With remote registration still on offer, players are quicker to sign up and take part in online sports betting. The option is open through December 12, and online bets continue to be the main choice for players.

In September, a total of 97% of the wagers placed were done so online. it was the BetRivers/Rivers Casino combination that saw the bulk of the wagers, with just over $112m placed. More than $98m of that amount was placed online.

DraftKings saw a nice jump in bets as well with $98.3m placed. FanDuel came in next with $78.6m in wagers.