Illinois sportsbooks got off to a record-setting start in 2022, with their handle in January reaching a new monthly high of $867.5 million.
What's more, the new high in January came as online sportsbooks in Illinois were doing business with one arm tied behind their backs, so to speak. That’s because, until March 5, bettors in the Prairie State were still required to register in person for an online betting account through one of the sportsbooks’ casino partners.
Online is king
Illinois sports bettors have indeed made it clear that their preferred method of wagering is online. Internet-based betting accounted for close to $830 million of January’s handle, or a whopping 95.6% of all wagers.
DraftKings and FanDuel continued to rule the roost among individual operators as well, combining for over $550 million of the state’s January wagers.
BetMGM, for example, recently joined the growing list of newcomers, going live in Illinois earlier this month. BetMGM joined six other online sportsbooks currently taking up residence in the state: DraftKings, PointsBet, FanDuel, BetRivers, Barstool, and Caesars.