If July marked the decline of summer sports betting, then the figures for August in Illinois indicate that the trend is reversing.
The state’s legal sportsbook has returned, accepting over $400 million in bets in the month, indicating better times ahead.
Although there was an increase in handle, Illinois bettors had better luck in August compared to July. Tennis and baseball betting helped drive this improvement, but another sport appears ready to continue the trend.
The August activities gambling figures are broken down.
In August 2021, Illinois sportsbooks received a total of $400,359,762 in bets, marking an increase of 8.5% from the previous month’s handle of $369.1 million. This growth rate aligns Illinois with the national average, as the average growth rate for all markets from July to August was 9.5%.
Illinois came in second in the category with $400.4 million, following Nevada by approximately $28 million and New Jersey by $264 million. This news was positive for operators of IL sports betting apps, but they did not come out on top.
The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) reported a 12.3% decrease in gross gaming revenue to $32.7 million in August compared to $37.3 million in July. This resulted in $26.8 million in adjusted gross revenue and $4.3 million in taxes.
| Licensee | Web company | Complete Solve | Control Online | Shop Control | Profit overall | Express Revenue | Nearby levy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen Casino | DraftKings | $149,193,129 | $146,623,109 | $2,570,020 | $11,266,766 | $1,123,315 | $66,260 |
| Park Fairmount | FanDuel | $111,485,664 | $110,889,427 | $596,237 | $10,532,019 | $1,400,660 | $102,777 |
| Des Plaines Rivers | BetRivers | $73,529,107 | $64,790,199 | $8,738,908 | $6,110,099 | $804,863 | $76,007 |
| Hawthorne | PointsBet | $28,944,210 | $27,284,174 | $1,660,036 | $2,496,332 | $320,055 | $26,545 |
| Aurora in Hollywood | Barstool | $26,367,434 | $25,469,362 | $898,072 | $2,147,375 | $318,889 | $22,413 |
| Queen Victoria | Caesars | $6,457,076 | $5,161,006 | $1,296,070 | -$157,256 | $34,733 | $456 |
| Argosy | N/A | $3,344,871 | $0 | $3,344,871 | $242,700 | $16,829 | $0 |
| Hollywood diva | N/A | $771,613 | $0 | $771,613 | $74,856 | $8,030 | $0 |
| Par-A-Dice | FanDuel | $266,658 | $0 | $266,658 | $5,043 | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $400,359,762 | $380,217,277 | $20,142,485 | $32,717,934 | $4,027,374 | $294,458 |
MLB betting took the lead as the Chicago White Sox headed to the playoffs.
MLB finals, US Open vessel figures for August
According to the IGB, baseball received the highest amount of bets in August, totaling $139.6 million, while tennis betting, likely boosted by the US Open, came in second at $43.4 million.
The English Premier League’s comeback boosted soccer betting, propelling it to third place with $30.8 million in wagers. In the Prairie State, the top two players continue to dominate betting across all eligible sports.
DraftKingsSportsbook and FanDuelSportsbook maintained their top spots in terms of handle and revenue.
Starting in July, the proportions of FanDuel and DraftKings in those groups increased. In July, FanDuel accounted for approximately 25.5% of the total gross revenue, while DraftKings received about 33.2% of all IL bets.
In August, DraftKings captured 37.2% of the handle, while FanDuel took 32.1% of the revenue share. Despite these impressive numbers, Illinois residents can anticipate even greater results in September, with the popularity of college football and NFL betting expected to drive significant growth.
National trends indicate that September will be a big month for IL sports gambling.
In September, Iowa sportsbooks reached a milestone by exceeding $200 million in wagers for the first time in state history, marking their biggest betting month ever. Indiana also saw a new monthly high for handle during the same period.
The Chicago Bears have emerged from hibernation, setting the stage for a potentially record-breaking month of sports betting in Illinois in September 2021. All signs currently point towards this outcome.
