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Illinois sports betting reached new heights in September, nearing $1.1 billion for the most handle (total amount bet) in a month.
The state’s sportsbooks generated $1.08 billion in September, surpassing the previous record of $1.07 billion set in March.
Football betting drives Illinois sports betting record
The NFL season brought a wave of sports betting across the county in September, boosting the handle far above summer totals. Illinois joined in the trend, with football contributing $367.7 million in non-parlay bets. And football likely accounted for a big chunk of the nearly $300 million in parlay bets.
According to data reported by the Illinois Gaming Board, September marked the third time Illinois sports betting handle eclipsed $1 billion, and the sixth time in the past year.
Additionally, September’s handle total was up roughly 30% year-on-year. This is a significant jump that means we’ll likely see more records fall before the year is done.
Most Illinois sports bettors prefer using DraftKings
On an operator-by-operator basis, DraftKings brought in the most handle at $409.9 million in September. FanDuel was second ($355.3 million) and then BetRivers ($96.9 million).
Caesars and PointsBet rounded out the operators that generated at least $50 million in handle.
What’s ahead for Illinois sports betting?
Based on Illinois’ 2022 numbers, it’s likely we could see more records over the next few months. Handle rose roughly $300 million from September 2022 to October 2022.
If that trend holds up this year, then the handle will hit $1.1 billion for the first time in the state’s history in October. Additionally, we could see the handle surpass $1 billion for five straight months (September to January) for the first time in Illinois history, too.
