It was a mixed bag of results for Illinois sports betting in June, with a double-digit decline in sports betting handle and revenue, but an increasing sense of the market’s strong standing nationally.
Overall, the Illinois sports betting scene raked in $628.459 million in June, down 17.8% from May’s $764.591 million.
The Land of Lincoln’s sports betting revenue figure of $40.866 million, meanwhile, was down 39.4% from the May Illinois sports betting revenue report ($67.466 million), showing the slowdowns typical in the middle of the summer months.
As far as year-over-year trends, June’s overall handle was up 31.9% (from $476.517 million in June 2021), while revenue was down 14% (from $47.517 million in June 2021).
Illinois’ sports betting tax was $6.685 million in June, representing a 38.7% drop from May’s total of $10.910 million.
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Here’s what else stood out from the Illinois Gaming Board’s report.
Illinois Sports Betting Handle, June vs. May
Illinois Sports Betting Stays Third Nationally in Handle
Other tidbits from the IGB June report that stood out were the popularity of baseball betting and the relative lack of interest in the Beautiful Game in the state.
That’s because baseball wagers raked in a whopping $221.779 million in handle during the month, dwarfing No. 2 tennis, which had $86.507 million in wagers during June.
Bringing up the rear in Illinois during June were basketball ($72.489 million), hockey ($26.708 million), and soccer ($23.882 million), while “other sports” had a collective handle of $29.435 million during the month.
Illinois’ $628.459 million June sports betting handle ranks third nationally, behind New York ($1.06 billion) and New Jersey ($633.2 million), and ahead of industry stalwarts like Nevada ($490.4 million) and Pennsylvania ($393.5 million).
In March, the state eliminated in-person registration for Illinois mobile betting apps, a decision that has pushed the state’s handle consistently into the top 3 in the nation.
Illinois Casinos Climb in July
Illinois’ casinos saw a strong gain in revenue in July, with $122.886 million earned during the month.
That figure represented an 11% month-over-month jump from May, when Illinois had $110.675 million in casino revenue.
June’s casino breakdown saw $93.974 million in revenue from electronic gaming devices and another $28.912 million from table games.
So far this year, Illinois’ casinos have raked in at least $100 million each month since March.
As far as individual casinos are concerned, Rivers Casino was the clear No. 1 operator, with $49.830 million in revenue during the month.
Of that, $31.111 million came from electronic gaming devices, with another $18.718 million coming in from table games. Rivers Casino also features a BetRivers Sportsbook Illinois retail location.
Trailing the Rush Street Interactive-owned facility in July were Grand Victoria Casino ($13.326 million), Harrah’s Joliet Casino & Hotel ($11.702 million), Hollywood Casino Aurora ($8.852 million), Hollywood Casino Joliet ($8.318 million), DraftKings at Casino Queen ($6.597 million), and Harrah’s Metropolis Casino ($6.196 million).
Overall, the state’s 11 casinos chipped in $29.687 million in wagering taxes to the state, with an additional $6.985 million to local jurisdictions in Illinois.
