Record High Sports Betting Handle for Illinois in September

Illinois has reported its monthly revenue figures from sportsbooks in September.

James Bisson

Last Updated: November 22, 2023 12:17 PM EST • 3 minute read

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The traditionally slow-reporting state of Illinois finally released its September sports betting figures Tuesday... and the wait was worth it as our best sportsbooks reported a strong month.

According to the Illinois Gaming Board, the return of NFL and college football action led to a record monthly handle for the state. A record September haul for Illinois sports betting led the state to finish as the third-best wagering state in America for the second straight month behind New York and New Jersey. Bettors in the state no doubt utilized various Illinois sportsbook promos throughout the month.

Unfortunately, a sub-10% hold rate for Illinois sports betting apps and the state's retail sector failed to set new revenue records.

Illinois' September legal sports betting handle helped the national wagering scene to a new all-time monthly high. Sports bettors in America spent more than $11.5 billion in September, with Kentucky still to report.

Illinois September sports betting handle

Land of Lincoln sports bettors came out in droves in September and set a new wagering total record for the state. Nearly $1.08 billion was wagered on sports in Illinois in September, bettering the $1.07 billion total recorded in March 2023.

The almost $1.08 billion represents a 60% spike from the $676 million bet in August. It is also a nearly 30% year-over-year improvement from the $831.8 million in wagers from September 2022.

Illinois has now posted six $1 billion-plus sports betting months since launch, all of which have come in the last 12 months.

Revenues fail to hit record levels

Illinois' sports betting providers are reporting $86.2 million in revenues from their record handle. While impressive, that number failed to set a new high-water mark for the state's best sportsbooks.

The $86.2 million in adjusted gross revenue for Illinois sportsbooks in September comes in as the fifth-best lifetime profits month for the state. The record revenue haul for Illinois sportsbooks was $107.4 million during the previous best-handle month of March.

The failure to seize on a record handle was due to a September hold rate of just under 8% for state sportsbooks. The win rate for Illinois sports betting providers was 8.7% in August and 10% in September 2022.

Still, profits are about $29 million higher than reported in August and about a 10% year-over-year improvement from September 2022.

The $12.9 million in tax revenue resulted from the adjusted gross revenue total for Illinois sportsbooks in September.

Year-to-date numbers very encouraging

The Illinois sports betting industry enjoyed year-over-year increases in all metrics for the first three quarters of 2023.

For the first nine months of 2023, the Illinois total wagering handle sits at $7.8 billion, a 16.6% increase from last year's same nine-month reporting period.

The $688.4 million in revenues have been reported for the period ranging from the beginning of January 2023 until the end of September. It is a 34.1% spike from the same period last year.

Taxes paid through the first nine months of 2023 rose to $103.3 million with September's numbers added in. It is a more than $26.2 million increase from last year.

DraftKings first to hit $400 million monthly mark

DraftKings Illinois became the first Illinois sportsbook to eclipse the $400-million handle mark in September. It set the new Illinois record with $402.9 million in wagers and had its best month in revenues in the state with $30.5 million.

FanDuel Illinois topped sportsbook monthly revenues with $32.4 million — its win rate was 9.5%, compared to DraftKings 7.7%. FanDuel took in $349.6 million in bets in September.

BetRivers Illinois was third in the battle for the best Illinois sports betting sites. It had an $83 million September handle with $6.9 million in revenues. Caesars Illinois made $2.5 million off a $66 million handle, and BetMGM Illinois was fifth with $46.8 million in bets and $4.4 million in revenue.

In its last full month before switching from Barstool Sportsbook to ESPN BET, Penn Entertainment took in $38.4 million in bets and had $2.6 million in revenue.

Written by:
James Bisson

James Bisson is the Editor-in-Chief of Sportsbook Review. He has been a writer, reporter and editor for more than 20 years, including a nine-year stint with The Canadian Press and more than five years at theScore. He has covered dozens of marquee events including the 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2006 Stanley Cup final and Wrestlemania 23, and his work has appeared in more than 200 publications, including the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, Yahoo! Sports, the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. His book, “100 Greatest Canadian Sports Moments”, was a hardcover best-seller in Canada in 2008 and earned him appearances on CBC Radio and Canada AM. He has written more than 50 sportsbook reviews, more than 200 industry news articles and dozens of other sportsbook-related content articles. A graduate of the broadcast journalism program at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), James has been an avid bettor since the early 2000s, and cites bet365 as his favorite sports betting site due to its superior functionality and quick payouts. His favorite piece of sports betting advice: "Stay in your lane. You're much more likely to have success betting sports you know, and focusing on finding angles and edges there."