Sportsbooks Cleaned Up On Loyola-Chicago Win Over Illinois, Despite No Action From Illinoisans

Written By Joe Boozell on March 23, 2021
sportsbooks loyola illinois

On Sunday, Loyola – Chicago defeated Illinois, the NCAA Tournament’s top seed, and US casinos did very well in the contest.

Of course, they would have benefited even more if it had been authorized in Illinois to wager on in-state college teams.

It & rsquo, however, is not.

And despite the fact that sports betting is legal in Illinois during March Madness for the first time, Illinoisans were not able to wager on a game in which two of its home schools went head to head.

Embarrassing? Without a doubt.

However, there was a bright side: If you believed the Fighting Illini may include the 7-point line, when most did, you were able to save some money.

The Loyola – Chicago victory was significant for casinos.

For sportsbooks entering the sport, Illinois was a significant liability.

At three of the top sportsbooks in IllinoisDraftKings, FanDuel and PointsBet — here were the public betting splits on the spread:

    89 % of funds and 81 % of wagers on Illinois were made by DraftKings.

  • FanDuel: 82 % of funds, 81 % of wagers on Illinois
  • PointsBet: 68 % of funds, 79 % of Illinois wagers

It’s impossible to predict how those figures would appear if Illinois residents had the option to wager on the sport.

However, given the size of the two fan bases, it’s difficult to imagine the Ramblers winning a lot of fans in Prairie State. If anything, given the larger group of Illini enthusiasts, the splits might have been even more uneven.

How far did Illinois users lose out on, then?

We can’t say for sure, but if the lines are connected, it was probably a sizable sum.

Play Illinois was informed by a DraftKings voice:

It’s difficult to come up with a number for what( sportsbooks ) missed specifically, but the IL game from yesterday was our second-biggest game of the day without the help of il user wagers & mdash, which is absurd given that Illinois is one of our most engaging states. We probably would have seen a massive game if state residents had been able to place bets. & rdquo,

DraftKings, where the handle splits were the most extreme, is the most popular sportsbook in Illinois by monthly handle.

Two Illinois schools had not advanced to the NCAA Tournament in the same year since 2007 before 2021, and the game took place on an area. Therefore, it is obvious why betting curiosity was great.

Finally, Illinoisans will be able to legally wager on their in-state teams by following March Madness.

The Illinois sports gambling college restrictions would be lifted by a bill.

In February, Illinois State Rep. Michael J. Zalewski (D) re-filed a bill that would allow Illinoisans to bet on their college teams.

There is optimism that it could pass in time for the upcoming college football season. Northwestern, which is fresh off a Citrus Bowlwin and a Big Ten Championship game appearance, figures to be good once again.

School wagering accounts for about 25 % of the total control in Illinois on average each month. Without being able to wager on Illinois, Northwestern, Loyola – Chicago, etc., it is obvious that & rsquo.

That reveal will almost certainly increase in March as a result of March Madness.

We will have a better understanding of how much sportsbooks and if Zalewski & rsquo’s bill is approved. As a result of the restrictions, the state lost out.

Oregon State was defeated by Loyola – Chicago in Sweet 16

The Ramblers’ victory over Illinois was incredibly amazing, and the bookies are treating them with some value in the Sweet 16.

If you look at out-of-state sportsbooks, Loyola – Chicago is a 6.5-point favourite over Oregon State’s 12 plant.

Beyond the Oregon State sport, casinos are bullish on the Ramblers andrquo.

At DraftKings, Loyola – Chicago already has + 900 points to win the national championship and + 150 to advance to the Final Four.

Loyola has the second – shortest chances to get it all out of the 16 groups still standing. Not too bad for an 8-seed.

Houston, the Loyola andrsquo region’s two-seed, narrowly escaped Rutgers in the Round of 32. The Ramblers are directly behind the Cougars, who are + 100 to come from the Midwest Region.

If Loyola – Chicago and Houston triumph, they may face off on Monday in the Elite Eight.

Suddenly, Illinois residents won’t be able to legally place bets on it. However, we & rsquo will keep you informed of how the non-Iland betting public is viewing the Rambler team.

Paul Sancya’s pictures, AP
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Boozell, Joe

Boozell, Joe has also been a college sports writer for NCAA.com since 2015. His work has also appeared in Bleacher Report, FoxSports.com and NBA.com. Growing up, Boozell squared off against both Anthony Davis and Frank Kaminsky in the Chicagoland basketball scene … you can imagine how that went.

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