While we typically keep it to Illinois sports betting coverage here at IllinoisBet.com, we like to dabble in pop culture as well, especially around the holidays. As the end of the calendar year approaches, it’s also a good time to use tools to identify what drove conversation across the state throughout 2023.
While some topics centered around sports, plenty others took us into the world of technology, politics, cinema, the weather and celebrity, just to name a few.
Utilizing Google Trends, IllinoisBet.com – your source for Illinois online casinos - analyzed the most-searched terms in the state of Illinois from Jan. 1-Dec. 10, 2023. We finalized the Top 10 queries by utilizing the terms that have seen the biggest increase in search volume over the year of 2023.
So, before or after you finalize your bets across Illinois betting apps ahead of this weekend’s NFL slate, read on to see what terms drove the most interest statewide in 2023.
In a bit of a feel-good story to end the year, Bills safety Damar Hamlin easily topped the list (+2,300%) among searches. Hamlin back in January tackled Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins and required immediate emergency medical treatment on the field, a frightening sight for the NFL community and sports fans across the world.
But in a turn for the best, Hamlin not only recovered, but even returned to the playing field this season for the Bills, a welcome turn for everyone who witnessed the hit just under a year ago. In a signal of the both mental and physical strength it took for Hamlin to be where he is today, he’s the overwhelming favorite to be named NFL Comeback Player of the Year over at ESPN BET Illinois.
Other terms that were popular across the state this year were “ChatGPT” – do we love it or hate it? Time will tell. Both “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” cracked the top 10 as Americans made their way back to movie theaters in droves this summer, and no pop culture list would be complete without “Taylor Swift,” who came in at No. 10.
Sadly, just ahead of Swift at No. 9 was “Matthew Perry,” as the world said goodbye to the popular “Friends” actor when he passed away in late October.
Author
Thomas Leary is a news editor and writer for IllinoisBet.com. He previously spent six years at Sports Business Journal, where he helped identify emerging sectors across sports business, such as legalized gambling, and helped launch a digital newsletter division.
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