Illinois is experiencing the fastest growth in the sports betting industry in the US, leading to various benefits for users.
At present, Illinois is home to five mobile sportsbooks and eight retail sportsbooks in the Land of Lincoln. Despite additional arrivals on the horizon, the state already features some of the top brands in the market.
BetRivers was the first to establish itself as a dominant force in the Illinois sports betting market by being the first to launch both retail and mobile sportsbooks in the state, securing a significant edge in attracting customers.
BetRivers had an 84% market share in August as the sole online book, but in September, DraftKings and FanDuel made significant gains, narrowing the gap.
In October, DraftKings demonstrated superior functionality compared to BetRivers, earning the top position in the betting industry. Despite this, BetRivers continued to lead in terms of state profit.
At the moment, DraftKings, BetRivers, and FanDuel are leading the way, with PointsBet and Theodore Hill lagging behind. But as the market evolves, could we see a change in this hierarchy?
The statistics for each casino in Illinois since the legalization of sports betting, including quarterly breakdowns, are provided below.
All-time sportsbook figures in Illinois
| Licensee | Handle in full | Handle Online | Shop Manage | Full Income | Full taxable | All Betting | Betting Internet | Wholesale Betting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | $932,381,302.25 | $865,356,518.04 | $67,024,784.21 | $59,894,933.93 | $9,677,567.53 | 26,133,313 | 25,246,221 | 887,092 |
| Betting BetRivers | $398,099,275.21 | $355,268,646.40 | $42,830,628.81 | $28,733,997.26 | $4,691,467.32 | 8,004,454 | 7,729,464 | 274,990 |
| Game Queen’s Sportsbook | $253,821,559.04 | $247,525,588.96 | $6,295,970.08 | $12,361,804.03 | $1,973,937.31 | 9,325,002 | 9,216,695 | 108,307 |
| Betting Lotto | $188,380,707.35 | $187,852,803.85 | $527,903.50 | $11,142,088.17 | $1,788,846.32 | 7,687,488 | 7,679,820 | 7,668 |
| Casino PointsBet | $69,653,895.93 | $69,104,042.83 | $549,853.10 | $5,285,838.09 | $864,317.17 | 572,996 | 567,229 | 5,767 |
| Casino at the Alton Argosy Casino( list only ) | $8,656,178.00 | $- | $8,656,178.00 | $819,531.69 | $122,929.75 | 312,507 | 0 | 312,507 |
| Sportsbook Theodore Hill | $8,402,469.95 | $5,605,436.00 | $2,797,033.95 | $737,649.00 | $113,965.80 | 73,875 | 53,013 | 20,862 |
| Betting at Joliet’s Hollywood Casino( list only ) | $2,897,353.47 | $- | $2,897,353.47 | $383,490.31 | $57,523.55 | 83,988 | 0 | 83,988 |
| Sportsbook( store only ) at Hollywood Casino Aurora | $2,469,863.30 | $- | $2,469,863.30 | $430,535.38 | $64,580.31 | 73,003 | 0 | 73,003 |
2020 October
| Licensee | Online Company | Handle in full | Handle Online | Shop Manage | Full Income | Express levy | Nearby levy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of the Casino | DraftKings | $141,416,340 | $138,474,252 | $2,942,087 | $13,207,233 | $1,722,457 | $115,342 |
| Rivers | BetRivers | $115,497,756 | $101,546,001 | $13,951,755 | $13,131,663 | $1,939,860 | $170,938 |
| Par-A-Dice | FanDuel | $105,571,911 | $105,235,658 | $336,253 | $12,521,849 | $1,671,313 | $116,422 |
| Hawthorne | PointsBet | $60,777,714 | $60,250,110 | $527,605 | $5,550,739 | $767,989 | $71,314 |
| Queen Victoria | Theodore Hill | $5,600,506 | $4,274,205 | $1,326,301 | $1,563,631 | $92,243 | $3,223 |
| Argosy | N/A | $3,058,668 | $0 | $3,058,668 | $394,523 | $59,180 | $0 |
| Joliet from Hollywood | N/A | $1,429,774 | $0 | $1,429,774 | $275,873 | $33,295 | $0 |
| Aurora Hollywood | N/A | $1,214,434 | $0 | $1,214,434 | $322,313 | $43,708 | $0 |
| Total | $434,567,103 | $409,780,227 | $24,786,876 | $46,967,823 | $6,330,045 | $477,239 |
2020 September
| Licensee | Model on the internet | Handle in full | Website Support | Shop Control | Full Income | Express levy | Local Income Taxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivers | BetRivers | $112,719,576 | $98,599,684 | $14,119,892 | $6,771,455 | $893,757 | $80,979 |
| King of the Game | DraftKings | $98,316,259 | $95,920,730 | $2,395,529 | $2,045,757 | $33,263 | $0 |
| Par-A-Dice | FanDuel | $78,568,310 | $78,376,659 | $191,651 | $1,498,339 | $0 | $1,111 |
| Hawthorne | PointsBet | $8,876,182 | $8,853,933 | $22,249 | $478,710 | $24,887 | $128 |
| Argosy | N/A | $2,297,279 | $0 | $2,297,279 | $160,525 | $24,077 | $0 |
| Queen Victoria | John Hill | $2,216,866 | $1,331,231 | $885,635 | $496,215 | $12,173 | $95 |
| Joliet from Hollywood | N/A | $1,141,444 | $0 | $1,141,444 | $158,037 | $20,160 | $0 |
| Aurora Hollywood | N/A | $1,088,023 | $0 | $1,088,023 | $145,492 | $17,276 | $0 |
| Total | $305,223,938 | $283,082,238 | $22,141,701 | $11,754,530 | $1,025,593 | $82,312 |
August 2021
| Licensee | Model on the internet | Handle in full | Website Support | Shop Control | Full Income | Express levy | Local Income Taxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivers | BetRivers | $117,967,144 | $106,598,369 | $11,368,775 | $6,317,289 | $939,219 | $87,426 |
| King of the Game | DraftKings | $14,088,960 | $13,130,606 | $958,354 | $974,110 | $98,551 | $4,325 |
| Par-A-Dice | FanDuel | $4,240,486 | $4,240,486 | $0 | -$16,378 | $0 | $0 |
| Argosy | N/A | $2,690,418 | $0 | $2,690,418 | $222,250 | $33,339 | $0 |
| Queen Victoria | N/A | $585,098 | $0 | $585,098 | $83,565 | $6,231 | $0 |
| Joliet from Hollywood | N/A | $326,136 | $0 | $326,136 | $35,711 | $4,068 | $0 |
| Aurora Hollywood | N/A | $167,406 | $0 | $167,406 | $26,942 | $3,596 | $0 |
| Total | $140,065,649 | $123,969,462 | $16,096,187 | $7,643,489 | $1,085,004 | $91,750 |
2020 July
| Licensee | Model on the internet | Handle in full | Website Support | Shop Control | Full Income | Express levy | Local Income Taxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivers | BetRivers | $51,914,799 | $48,524,592 | $3,390,207 | $4,658,783 | $537,264 | $42,025 |
| Argosy | N/A | $609,813 | $0 | $609,813 | $110,401 | $6,334 | $0 |
| Total | $52,524,612 | $48,524,592 | $4,000,020 | $4,769,184 | $543,598 | $42,025 |
Illinois casinos benefit from the crisis
Despite the recession caused by the ongoing pandemic in the US, the Illinois sports betting market has surprisingly seen benefits.
Originally, the Illinois Gaming Act mandated that individuals had to physically visit a casino to register for an online sportsbook. However, in response to the public health crisis, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker temporarily lifted this requirement. As a result, individuals have been able to register for online sportsbooks remotely since June, with only a brief interruption in July and August.
It is difficult to accurately predict what the monthly control numbers would be if the in-person subscription was still active. However, it is reasonable to assume that they would not be as impressive as they are now.
Where does the sports gambling industry in Illinois go from here?
BetRivers, DraftKings, and FanDuel have established themselves as dominant players in the market, despite the ongoing development of the industry in Illinois.
Watching the upcoming business growth will be intriguing. While DraftKings and FanDuel gained momentum a few months after their launch, BetRivers has already established an early lead.
As of now, PointsBet and John Hill Sports are lagging behind the competition, but PointsBet made notable strides in October. With the growing popularity of sports betting in Illinois, there is a strong possibility for them to close the gap and compete with the top three.
There should also be some new users in 2021.
In 2021, Unibet, Barstool, and BetMGM sports betting platforms will be introduced in Illinois, offering local sports bettors a wider range of betting choices.
