Sports wagering revenue in Illinois decreases to approximately $679 million during February.
In the bustling world of sports betting, Illinois has proven itself to be a major player, rapidly growing its market since legalizing the practice in 2019. The state has shown remarkable growth, rivaling established leaders like New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania in the post-PASPA era.
February 2022 saw a slight dip in the overall handle, with a traditional sports wagering handle of $679.4 million, a 21.8% drop from January. However, Illinois has consistently posted monthly handles above $1 billion since August 2024, with volumes rivaling or exceeding older markets like Pennsylvania.
Key trends in Illinois include:
- Total handle milestone: Illinois surpassed $50 billion in all-time sports betting handle as of mid-2025, joining New York and New Jersey as the only states to cross this threshold since PASPA was overturned in 2018.
- Monthly betting volume: Illinois consistently posts monthly handles above $1 billion, with volumes rivaling or exceeding older markets like Pennsylvania.
- Annual growth: Illinois grew its sports betting handle from around $11.6 billion in 2023 to $14 billion in 2024, an increase of about 20.6%.
- Hold percentages and revenue: Illinois sportsbooks have a hold rate averaging around 8.6% to 9.5%, delivering strong profits exceeding $100 million monthly several times in 2025.
- Tax revenue growth: The strong betting revenue supports significant tax income, with Illinois collecting nearly $40 million in wagering taxes in April 2025 alone.
- Competitive sportsbook landscape: Illinois currently has about 10 sportsbooks operating, supported by a large, engaged fan base with multiple local professional teams, helping drive betting volumes comparable to more mature markets like New Jersey and Nevada.
Despite the month-over-month declines, Illinois is performing at much stronger levels year-over-year, with handle up 41.6% and revenue 22.2% higher.
In the competitive landscape of Illinois sports betting, BetRivers had the highest win rate (6.8%) and claimed close to $7.3 million in revenue from $106.8 million wagered. FanDuel claimed first place in both handle ($211.3 million) and revenue ($11.2 million) due to DraftKings' decline. PointsBet held off Barstool Sportsbook for fourth in both handle and revenue.
Interestingly, Hollywood Aurora used a registration promotion that led to nearly $1 million being wagered on live college sporting events. Casino Queen near the Missouri border had an all-time high win rate of 26.3% in February, keeping close to $1.2 million of the $4.4 million wagered.
Operators still claimed more than $13.4 million from parlays, with FanDuel accounting for more than half that total with $7 million through a 10.8% win rate. Despite the struggles of Caesars Sportsbook in Illinois, posting losses in back-to-back months, the state's sports betting market continues to thrive.
- In the financial aspects of casino-and-gambling, particularly sports-betting, Illinois has significantly increased its revenue, claiming close to $40 million in wagering taxes in a single month (April 2025).
- Operators in Illinois sports betting have reported impressive payouts from parlays, with FanDuel securing more than half of that total ($7 million) through a winning rate of 10.8%.
- Within the competitive sportsbook landscape of Illinois, some operators have employed unique strategies, such as Hollywood Aurora's registration promotion that led to nearly $1 million being wagered on live college sporting events.
- Overall, Illinois has shown a consistent trend in sports betting, with a total handle of $679.4 million in February 2022, despite a 21.8% drop from January, and consistently posting handles above $1 billion since August 2024, signifying a substantial wager requirement or line for potential profits.
