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CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 28: The sun rises behind the skyline as temperatures hovered around -10 degrees January 28, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The city has had 18 days at or below zero so far this winter, two shy of the 20-day record. Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

The state of Illinois is a sports betting scene unto their own. They are always the last to report on their monthly handles (generally 6-weeks after month's end) and they seemingly aren't afraid to swim upstream. A lot of news on the Illinois scene has dropped the last week or so, some good, some not so good and some is truly head-scratching.

The good news out of the Illinois legal sports betting scene came in the form of their leapfrogging into the "Top-3" on the list of bet-friendly states in the US market. The bad came from news that Illinois experienced its first ever handle-decline since its July launch and the head-scratching came in the form of their platform reverting back to an in-person only mobile betting registration procedure.

February in Illinois

Just like most legal sports betting jurisdictions, Illinois experienced a handle drop-off in February, thanks to the end of the NFL season, the short 28-day betting period and the fact that there was one less weekend of betting on the calendar.

According to the Illinois Gaming Board, the state's sportsbooks were able to take in $509.8 million in February, a steep 12.3% drop from January’s record $581.6 million handle. The percentage drop is in line with what other jurisdictions experienced during February.

Revenues followed suit thanks to a 6.9% hold, which is actually down from January’s 8.24% hold. Revenues dropped 38.7% to $35.4 million in February, from the record $49.4 million sportsbooks made during their record January haul.

$5.31 million in taxes was generated for the state and another $541,832 in local taxes was gleaned from February's profits.

It all resulted in Illinois overtaking Pennsylvania by about $246,772 for the #3 ranked legal sports betting jurisdiction in the country - something that should be widely celebrated in and around the Illinois scene.

Mobile Propping Up the Handle, but for How Long?

Nothing good came from the coronavirus pandemic, except for possibly Illinois Governor Pritzker's Executive Order 2020-41 that temporarily allowed for remote registration for the state's legal sports betting apps.

When legal sports betting first launched in Illinois in June 2020, regulators in the state opted for an in-person only sign-up requirement for its mobile betting apps. But COVID's forced closure of brick-and-mortar facilities prompted the Governor to relax the rules and allow for a more industry-friendly remote sign-up.

The result was a wagering surge in the Land of Lincoln betting scene as evidenced by the state's internet wing of the sports betting platform contributing $490.2 million of the $509.8 million February handle. That number is actually down from an eye-popping 98.9%, or $575.2 million, in online betting in January.

It remains to be seen if Governor Pritzker's reluctance to extend his executive order allowing for remote sign-up will affect the state's overall numbers, but the expectation is for fewer new customers to the state's sportsbooks, especially during this time of slight COVID upticks and the affect they are having on retail facilities.

“Passing Pennsylvania should be momentous but it is almost certainly going to be short-lived, as the decision to return to in-person registration will likely mean the end of growth for the Illinois sports betting industry,” said Jessica Welman, analyst for PlayIllinois.com. “Open registration has been a key component in making Illinois one of the largest sports betting markets in the country. Forcing people to physically appear in a retail sportsbook is a counterproductive measure, which should be apparent whenever Illinois April data is released.”

Where the Entirety of the Us Scene Landed In February

With Illinois now having reported their February statistics, we can now stand back and see just how the entire nation did during the predictable but still disappointing month of legal sports wagering.

January’s national handle came in at a record $4.36 billion – an incredibly high number that was always going to be difficult to duplicate in February. We saw the National handle drop in February to less than $4 billion in February to about $3,999,700,000 but we are expecting that number to steadily climb as new states open up and new providers get cranking in already-existing jurisdictions.

At Least...

There was a huge addition to the

in March that could buoy the state's industry for the time being at least. Penn National's Barstool Sportsbook launched March 11 and made waves instantly with a huge marketing push.

March Madness is, as in the rest of the country, expected to provide the Illinois scene with a bounce back. No. 1 seed Illinois and No. 8 seed Loyola Chicago represented the state and one even had an impressive Cinderella run. Hoops accounted for nearly half of the Illinois February handle with more than $255 million wagered.

That number will obviously spike in March during a time that Illinois is forced to defend, not chase a Top-3 spot on the list of US jurisdictional success.