Illinois Sports Betting Handle Dips In May, But Still A Comfortable No. 2 In US

In May, Illinois’s sports wagering handle saw a decline once more as the state recorded$ 507.3 million in bets for the month.

The drop of about $30 million from the report in April aligns with some states’ trend. However, the handle was marginally higher across the US in May. This could be a sign that Illinois is experiencing the impact of in-person sports betting registration.

Despite this, Illinois was one of just two states to record a sports betting handle of at least $500 million in May. Consequently, for the second consecutive month, the Land of Lincoln was second only to New Jersey.

Nevada, with a handle of $477.6 million, ranked third in highest handle. Consequently, Illinois, in second place, has a buffer of around $30 million.

Nevada, similar to Illinois, offers in-person membership. However, due to its location, the financial sportsbooks in Nevada are more ideally suited for in-person sign-ups.

Operators of sports betting in Illinois generated $36.6 million in revenue. Consequently, the state’s tax revenue experienced an increase of $5.43 million.

Despite the slow season for sports betting, one casino swiftly registered its most profitable month.

Illinois may manage casino income.

Here’s how each sportsbook in Illinois managed and profited in May:

In April, FanDuel took over the Illinois handle lead from DraftKings for the first time. However, DraftKings reclaimed the leading position in Illinois in May.

Despite this, FanDuel in Illinois managed to outperform all other state operators in terms of profit in April, and by a significant margin. Therefore, it’s probably not too concerned about losing the top spot in betting handle. FanDuel regularly outpaces all other sportsbooks in Illinois in revenue, and it achieved its best-ever monthly performance during what’s usually seen as the sports betting off-season.

These numbers also reveal interesting facts: Barstool seemed to have secured its position as the fourth leading sportsbook in Illinois in April. It reported around $10 million more in handle than PointsBet for the month.

In May, PointsBet’s handle fell by approximately 5.6%, while Barstool’s saw a 23% decline.

The scheduling of the in-person registration evidently affected Barstool more than any other operator. This is primarily because it only had roughly three weeks to remotely register users, while other online sportsbooks had several months.

The May figures, however, reveal a decline in interest in Barstool during that month. This could possibly be due to the novelty wearing off or its users consistently losing bets after its launch.

You Illinois sportsbooks continue to use the No. second place in the US?

As previously stated, Illinois outperformed Nevada by approximately $30 million in May. Thanks to this potential and the state’s dedication to baseball betting, Illinois is expected to maintain its position throughout the summer.

In May, baseball was the second most favored sport to bet on in Illinois, following basketball. Illinois residents wagered $126.1 million on baseball, known as America’s Pastime. The impressive performances of both the Cubs and the White Sox during this period may have contributed to the high betting amount in Chicago.

However, if Illinois continues to offer in-person registration, it may begin to drop in the state rankings by fall. A significant number of clients sign up with sportsbooks during the soccer season, and Illinois’s inability to register users online could prove a disadvantage.

As a result, states such as Pennsylvania and Nevada should be able to surpass Illinois.

The expectation is that Illinois (IL) will see further growth if online subscriptions make a comeback in 2022. It is believed that the Illinois sports betting market will stay the same for the time being.