Although Illinois did not have online sports betting enrollment for most of April, it still ranked as the top state. The US industry has two distinct markets under control.
Illinois’ sports betting market surpassed those of Nevada and Pennsylvania with a monthly handle of $537.2 million, making it one of the top-performing states in the industry. Despite being one of the last states to report figures, Illinois outperformed both Nevada and Pennsylvania, which failed to reach the $500 million milestone.
New Jersey was the only state to finish higher, with $748 million in bets.
As of April 4, online registration was discontinued by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. Despite this change, Illinois residents continued to be very engaged in the betting market in comparison to other states.
In April, sports betting across the country saw a significant decline in activity as a result of the lack of sporting events and March Madness wagering opportunities.
Let’s examine how Illinois rapidly rose to the second position.
lengthy period of virtual sign-ups as a result of COVID-19
Illinois residents took advantage of the opportunity to register for online casinos from mid-August 2020 to early April 2021, showing strong participation over the seven-month period.
Six online casinos were established in Illinois either during or just before that time.
The rapid success of Illinois in sports wagering was not foreseen by the Sports Wagering Act, which had anticipated that in-person registration would continue until 2022.
Nevertheless, due to the pandemic, Pritzker was forced to consistently extend his monthly executive order, effectively waiving the need for in-person registration.
Illinois has one of the strongest sports betting markets in the nation when net sign-ups are established.
Illinois ranks as the sixth most populous state in the US, just behind Pennsylvania in fifth place. Interestingly, the top four states have not yet legalized online sports betting. It is notable that many bettors from New York travel to New Jersey to place their bets online.
Illinois is known for its sports-crazed culture, with Chicago standing out as one of the largest cities in the nation with a particularly strong passion for sports.
Chicago is home to multiple popular sports teams to bet on, which has helped drive the market’s growth in April. In contrast to Indiana, which does not have a professional baseball team, Illinois is lucky to have two: the Cubs and White Sox.
In April, Illinois residents bet a significant $121 million on baseball, making it the second most popular sport to bet on after basketball. Soccer was a distant third, with nearly $100 million less in wagers.
Some areas rely heavily on basketball or March Madness, but given Chicago’s reputation as a baseball city, it’s possible that Illinois is better prepared to handle the slower sports betting seasons.
However, Illinois today has a cap.
Although it is positive for the Illinois sports betting market, in-person registration is unlikely to contribute significantly to future growth.
Illinois casinos experienced a significant increase in customers during the fall, winter, and early spring, allowing them to continue betting through their devices. However, without acquiring new customers, there are limited additional benefits to be gained.
This is especially disheartening for the upcoming football season, as this is the time when sportsbooks typically attract a large number of new users. Without a miraculous legislative resolution, Illinois residents will not have access to sports betting options for the 2021 season.
As we near 2022, we could see a resurgence in online registration. This is also the year when mobile-only licenses will be introduced, allowing for remote registrations for all individuals.
Nonetheless, it is not far-fetched to imagine that Illinois, which has online registration as the norm, could have challenged New Jersey for the top spot. It might have even claimed the number one ranking by the conclusion of the 2021 sports season.
Tidbits from the profit report for April
Illinois casinos have been raking in profits from bets, a trend that has continued for the past several months.
These are the sports handle numbers for April:
- $ 173.6 million in basketball
- Baseball:$ 121,000,000
- Wagers:$ 116.4 million
- Sports:$ 31. 2 million
- Golf:$ 30.9 billion
- Sports:$ 19.4 billion
The rest of the handle consists of various smaller sports elements put together.
After establishing parlays, they quickly became the top choice for operators in terms of revenue. In April, users placed bets totaling $19 million on parlays, which was $10 million more than any other type of bet mentioned previously.
After reintroducing in-person registration, Rivers Casino successfully recaptured approximately 50% of the wholesale market share. Despite this achievement, the casino saw a slight decline in its overall market share, dropping by around one percentage point from March to 15.7% in April.
BetRivers continues to hold a strong position as the third top performer in the Illinois market. Despite this, it seems unlikely that their chances of surpassing FanDuel or DraftKings will be greatly impacted by in-person registration.
