Regulated online gambling in Illinois more-than-doubled in August, newly-released figures have revealed.
Revenue jumped up by 106.5%, while there was also a significant rise in player stakes compared to July 2020.
Online wagering was the most popular form of betting, with remote betting sign-ups re-enabled towards the end of August.
How much did casinos in Illinois generate?
Illinois bookmakers brought in $11.8 million between them from all forms of legal betting. The majority of this – $9.8 million, to be exact – was generated from online betting. This figure signalled an 82.2% increase compared to July’s online revenue results.
Though the $2 million figure for land-based casinos doesn’t look as impressive at face value, it was over 100 times what they had reported one month earlier.
Players also staked more in August, with operators handling $140.7 million. That was a 166.7% jump compared to the previous month.
Which operators enjoyed the most prosperous month?
Rush Street maintained its place on top of the pile, taking $10.7 million of the overall market share. This was an 88.5% monthly increase. Wagers also went up by a sizeable margin, with players staking $117.9 million. That was 127.8% higher than in July.
Rush Street was sportsbook to launch in the state, with its services being powered by gaming supplier Kambi.
DraftKings and its sportsbook at East St. Louis’ Casino Queen was in a distant second place. The operator generated $873,000, with players wagering $14.1 million. One thing worth noting is that this was DraftKings’ first month of operating in Illinois.
Penn National took $222,000 from a handle of $2.7 million at its Argosy Casino Alton, as well as another $24,000 from its sports betting services at the Hollywood Casino Joliet. The revenue at the first of these venues was five times higher than in July.
An extra $27,000 for Penn National came from the Hollywood Casino Aurora.
Meanwhile, William Hill’s Elgin Riverboat Resort brought in $42,000. William Hill has since accepted a takeover offer from US casino giant Caesars Entertainment.
Illinois brought in $1.2 million from total wagers, which was a 100.8% month-on-month rise. $982,000 of these came from online betting, with a further $195,000 coming from land-based stakes.
Sports betting in Illinois
Illinois’ regulated sports betting market originally went live in March, just days before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a statewide casino shutdown.
In normal circumstances, players would have to register for sports betting accounts at land-based casinos in the state. However, due to the risk of spreading infection, Governor J.B. Pritzker enabled remote registration in June. After ending later on in the summer, it was re-implemented on 21st August.
