Interactive

US – Illinois enjoys best launch year of all US online betting states

By Phil - 16 February 2021

Illinois online sportsbooks ended 2020 on the highest note yet, pushing the statewide handle to nearly $500m in monthly wagering and ending the industry’s inaugural year with nearly $2bn in bets even as retail casinos remained closed in December.

But even as the book on 2020 closes, brisk betting on February’s Super Bowl signals an even bigger year ahead, according to PlayIllinois, which offers news and analysis of the state’s gaming industry.

“No state has made a bigger splash in its first year of regulated sports betting than Illinois,” said Jessica Welman, analyst for PlayIllinois.com. “But with growth that is expected of any fledgling market, combined with, hopefully, a return to more normal life for everyone, 2020 should be a prologue to a year that has the potential of being one of the most lucrative for any legal jurisdiction. The caveat is, though, that a lifting of the current suspension of the state’s in-person registration requirements would have a chilling effect throughout the market.”

With retail sportsbooks closed, Illinois online operators attracted $491.7m in bets in December, according to official data released Monday. That is up 8.6 per cent from $449.2m in November and represents the fourth-largest handle in the US for the month, behind New Jersey ($996.3m), Nevada ($588m), and Pennsylvania ($548.6m).

December’s bets produced $28.4m in operator revenue, down from $41.3m in November. That yielded $3.6m in taxes for the state.

Illinois’ retail and online sportsbooks for all of 2020 produced $1.9bn in wagers, $125.5m in taxable revenue and $20.2m in state and local taxes. Despite the historic start, the best is likely yet to come. Bets on February’s Super Bowl, for instance, reached $45.6m, fourth most among states that released data following the game.

“With results that have rivalled far more established markets, it might be easy to forget that Illinois is still nowhere near its maturity as a market,” said Joe Boozell, analyst for PlayIllinois.com. “The state is still very much ramping up, but there is no question that Illinois will be an increasing force in the industry.”

Football betting topped all sports with $204.4m, or 41.6 per cent of the state’s handle. Basketball betting was No. 2 with $441.2m, or 29.3 per cent of Illinois’ handle.

Illinois’ sportsbooks are also getting more creative. Some are now offering odds on where major NFL free agents will eventually sign, the kind of unconventional bet that has made its way to only a handful of states.

“Unconventional bets, prop or otherwise, are more than a fun curiosity for sportsbooks,” Ms. Welman said. “They offer new ways for consumers to engage, especially during a sport’s offseason. That is especially true for football betting, which commands more action than any other sport.”

With a $195.4m handle, DraftKings/Casino Queen accounted for 40 per cent of the state’s overall handle. But new brands, most notably Penn National’s Barstool-branded app, will reach new customers and open new sources of revenue, and that will raise expectations for the state.

“The more robust the roster of operators in the state, the better it is for customers,” Boozell said. “The Barstool app should be an important addition, capable of not only grabbing a significant share of the market, but also helping to grow the pie for all.”