Sports betting revenue in Illinois in the United States reached an all-time monthly record of $136.4 million (£108.1 million/€129.4 million) in September.
NFL drives growth in sports betting in the state
Gamblers spent a total of $1.31 billion on sports betting in September, which marked the start of the National Football League (NFL) season.
This represents 21.5% more than in September 2023 and 49.2% more than in August of this year. However, the amount for missed the all-time state record — $1.38 billion in November 2023 — by 4.7%.
Online spending for the month totaled US$1.27 billion, with retail spending reaching US$34.9 million. The Council said professional sports attracted the most sports betting, with US$1.12 billion, being:
- college sports with $177.1 million
- motorsport with US$753,685
- other sports with US$5.3 million
Adjusted gross revenue (AGR) was 58.6% higher than in September last year and also 130.4% higher than in August this year. It narrowly surpassed Illinois’ existing monthly record – $135.2 million in January of this year – by 0.9%.
Figures from the Illinois Gaming Board show that $132.6 million of total revenue came from online betting. The remaining $3.9 million was attributed to bets at retail sportsbooks across the state.
FanDuel retakes DraftKings lead in Illinois
RRegarding operators, Flutter, owned by FanDuel, returned to the top in September, ahead of rival DraftKings. In the month, FanDuel, in partnership with Fairmount Park, in Illinois, earned US$53.7 million in AGR from US$404.4 million in bets, representing a 13.27% share.
After leading the market in August, DraftKings had to settle for second place this time around. Revenue for the month exceeded US$47.7 million and generated US$501.5 million, which is significantly higher than FanDuel. The hold of DraftKings, which works with Casino Queen, reached 9.51%.
The operator blamed player-friendly NFL results for a big drop in retention at the start of the fourth quarter, which means interested parties will be analyzing its October performance in Illinois – where it is also looking to mitigate this year’s tax increase – to obtain evidence of this impact.
Fanatics and partner Hawthorne Race Course rounded out the top three in September. In the month, turnover reached US$99.3 million and revenue reached US$10.6 million, a retention of 10.67%.
In other words, this means that BetRivers, from Rush Street Interactive, in partnership with Midwest Gaming & Entertainment, came in fourth place, with US$81.1 million bet. The retention rate was 10.85%, leaving revenue of US$8.8 million.
But elsewhere, Caesars and Elgin Riverboat Resort reported revenue of $4.8 million, up from $54.8 million, with a retention of 8.76%.
How ESPN Bet and Hard Rock fared in Illinois
ESPN Bet and Hollywood Casino Aurora followed with $3.5 million of $55.2 million, resulting in a 6.34% retention. This represented an improvement on the previous month, but remains slightly behind the market leaders.
Hard Rock and 815 Entertainment was the only other partnership to surpass $1 million in monthly revenue. Then, in September, it recorded US$17.4 million in turnover, with a retention of 9.2%, leaving revenue of US$1.6 million. The offer only went into operation in August this year.
As for taxes, the state of Illinois collected a total of $37.3 million in taxes on sports betting. Revenue represents a jump of 168.3% compared to the previous year.
While the collection was only possible thanks to new Illinois tax rules that came into effect on July 1st. The previous flat rate of 15% of adjusted gross income has been replaced with a sliding scale that ranges from 20% to 40% of adjusted gross income, depending on turnover.
