The Land of Lincoln enjoyed record sports betting revenue and handle in 2024, making Illinois the second-largest sports betting market in the US.
Illinois bettors wagered a state-record $14.017 billion in 2024, a 20.7% year-over-year increase. For revenue, Illinois sportsbooks generated a combined $1.233 billion, also a record for the state.
That resulted in $266.7 million in tax revenue for the state, roughly a 75% increase over the prior year thanks in part to the progressive tax rate instated in July 2024.
DraftKings, FanDuel Dominate the Market
DraftKings and FanDuel dominated Illinois in 2024, accounting for 70% of total handle for the year, or $9.798 billion in combined handle. That was up slightly from the prior year, when the two brands combined for just over $9 billion, or 68.6% of all handle.
For 2024, DraftKings Illinois was king among all sportsbooks in the state with $5.119 billion in handle with a leading 36.5% market share.
FanDuel Illinois was just behind at 33.4% market share for the year, generating $4.679 billion in handle.
The next-closest operator in terms of market share was BetRivers at 7%, or $999 million in handle.
Bettor-Friendly Results Cause December Drop-Off
Despite the record revenue generated by IL betting apps and retail sportsbooks for the full-year, December was a down month from December 2023 due to bettor-friendly results.
For context, NFL betting favorites won nearly 77% of games in December, the second-highest win rate for a month in the last 50 NFL seasons. That resulted in a bettor-friendly December for Illinois with sportsbooks bringing in $105.7 million in revenue, a 17.7% decrease from December 2023.
And that drop came despite a 13.5% year-over-year increase in handle to $1.491 billion.
For our look back at 2024 sports betting revenue and additional revenue to come, check out our IL sports betting revenue report page.
