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PlayIllinois.com: Sports betting drops again, but Illinois remains nation’s No. 2

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Illinois sportsbooks

 

Betting volume at Illinois sportsbooks hit $507 million in May, overcoming in-person registration requirements to fall only slightly from April, according to analysts from PlayIllinois, which tracks the state’s regulated online gaming and sports betting market. May’s handle was the second-largest of any state in the U.S., joining New Jersey as the only two states in the U.S. to take in more than $500 million in sports wagers in both April and May.

“It’s been a mild surprise that Illinois has managed to fare as well as it has through the first two months of what is typically the offseason for sports betting,” said Jessica Welman, analyst for the PlayUSA.com Network, which includes PlayIllinois.com. “In-person registration requirements will cap future growth. But the results in April and May do show just how active and engaged Illinois bettors have been.”

Betting at Illinois’ retail and online sportsbooks dropped 5.6% to $507.3 million in May from the $537.2 million in April, according to official data released Tuesday. The pace of betting slowed modestly, too, to $16.9 million per day over the 31 days of May from $17.9 million per day in April.

Gross gaming revenue fell 12.9% to $36.6 million in May from $42 million in April. That produced $36.2 million in adjusted gross revenue, yielding $5.9 million in state and local taxes. Sportsbooks have now generated $53.8 million in taxes since sports betting launched in 2020.

The handle in nearly every state has fallen since March, even as combined U.S. wagering climbed slightly in May from April. Of the Top 10 U.S. markets, Illinois’ month-over-month decrease in May wagering was behind the pace of New Jersey (up 8.9%), Indiana (up 7.6%), Nevada (up 4.3%), Colorado (up 1.8%), Iowa (down 2.9%), and Virginia (down 4.0%), but outperformed Michigan (down 6.0%), Tennessee (down 6.7%), and Pennsylvania (down 6.7%). Illinois’ handle dropped 15.2% in April, but that was better than most of the nation’s 10 largest markets, which all saw at least a 13% decline in betting from March to April.

Basketball has been the favorite over the last two months, generating $154.3 million in wagering in May, down from $171.4 million in April. Bettors have found local reasons to place a bet, too, particularly with a good run of play in May by the Chicago White Sox and Cubs. Bettors placed $126.1 million on baseball, up from $121.2 million in April.

Tennis ($32.6 million), soccer ($29.3 million), and hockey ($21.1 million) all drew significant action, too.

“Successful local teams are particularly important in months without football or a major betting holiday like March Madness,” said Joe Boozell, analyst for PlayIllinois.com. “Both the White Sox and Cubs won big in May, and that entices fans to place a bet on their favorite team. That helped make up for the Bulls and Blackhawks missing the postseason, lowering interest in both the NBA and NHL playoffs.”

$482.5 million, or 95.1%, of May’s bets were made online. DraftKings/Casino Queen rocketed back into the market lead with $170.1 million in combined online and retail handle, up from $169.6 million. May’s handle included $166.2 million in online bets and led to $7.2 million in gross gaming revenue.

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FanDuel/Fairmont’s online and retail sportsbooks attracted $156.3 million in bets in May, down from $177.8 million in April. But the month’s bets, $155.6 million of which came online, generated a whopping $20.2 million in gross gaming revenue.

BetRivers/Rivers Casino rose to $89 million in combined handle, including $76.7 million in online wagering. That led to $5.2 million in gross gaming revenue.

The leaders were followed by:

  • Barstool/Hollywood Casinos ($39.6 million in wagers, including $38.2 million online; $1.5 million in revenue)
  • PointsBet/Hawthorne Race Course ($39 million in wagers, including $37.4 million online; $2.3 million in revenue)
  • William Hill/Grand Victoria ($9.1 million in wagers, including $8.4 million online; -$128,245 in revenue)
  • Argosy ($2.7 million in wagers; $338,081 in revenue)
  • Hollywood Joliet ($1.2 million in wagers; $167,282 in revenue)
  • Par-A-Dice ($327,350 in wagers; -$236,850 in revenue)

The market could get more competition in the coming months, too. That includes the Illinois arrival of BetMGM, the nation’s third-largest online sportsbook operator, as well as Unibet, Golden Nugget, theScore, and Bally’s.

“A fresh infusion of operators has the potential to eventually lift the ceiling for the market,” Boozell said. “But until online registration returns to the state, new operators will remain at a permanent disadvantage. And that will blunt any boost the market would ordinarily get from new sportsbooks.”

For more detailed revenue information, visit PlayIllinois.com/revenue.

Compliance Updates

QTech Games sharpens its LatAm focus with MINCETUR licence in Peru

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QTech Games sharpens its LatAm focus with MINCETUR licence in Peru

 

New certification for emerging-markets leader arrives ahead of key industry summit in Sao Paulo and awards recognition

QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for emerging markets, has had its platform and games successfully approved for the Peruvian market, demonstrating that its premier B2B platform and all-encompassing content conforms to the latest legislative updates to enhance and regulate Peru’s local gaming environment.

Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Commerce and Tourism (MINCETUR) has now issued an online gaming licence to QTech Games, whereby all its platform products and games are now deemed legally permitted. This includes its new software service for retail, QTech Hybrid, which allows land-based partners to scale their operations online. QTech Hybrid simplifies transactions by enabling deposits, withdrawals and gameplay while allowing access to players both in-shop and on personal devices.

This breakthrough hybrid solution has quickly won clients and awards in the comparably fragmented African market (most recently in March for Best Innovation at AGE Lagos), and now promises to do likewise across LatAm, where QTech Games has already signed several major clients for both its aggregation platform and its QTech Hybrid solution. This activity has seen it again nominated for Best Aggregator at the SiGMA Americas Awards, which kickstart the SiGMA Americas summit (7-10 April) next week, as the igaming world converges on Sao Paulo for a must-attend conference in another of QTech Games’ “focus markets” for 2025.

Philip Doftvik, QTech Games’ CEO, said: “It’s fantastic to have certified our aggregation platform in Peru via MINCETUR – and I’m pleased to say we have more such approvals pending across the continent. We attended fantastic events in Rio and, more recently, SAGSE 2025 in Buenos Aires – and anticipate more of the same at SiGMA Americas in Sao Paulo next week, where we’re also thrilled to have been shortlisted for Best Aggregator at their LatAm Awards. Given the venue, Brazil will be dominating the discussion for many at SiGMA Sao Paulo. However, we’ll also be looking beyond Brazilian borders this year, and are already active in Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay. We know our QTech Hybrid solution will work very well wherever we put a pin on the LatAm map.”

QTech Games delegates will be present at five more LatAm summits in 2025, with SiGMA Americas (7 April) the next port of call – followed by GAT Expo Cartagena (28 April), SBC Americas (13 May), Peru Gaming Show (18 June) and GAT Expo Mexico (28 Aug).

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BETBY STRENGTHENS LATAM PRESENCE THROUGH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH CALÍMACO

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BETBY STRENGTHENS LATAM PRESENCE THROUGH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH CALÍMACO

 

BETBY, an industry-leading sports betting provider, has announced a long-term partnership with Calímaco, a premium B2B sportsbook supplier with a strong foothold across Latin America. This collaboration aligns with BETBY’s expansion strategy in the LATAM market, reinforcing its commitment to delivering state-of-the-art sportsbook solutions in the region.

As part of the agreement, Calímaco will integrate BETBY’s award-winning sportsbook solution, including its proprietary esports feed BETBY Games, and comprehensive trading and risk management services. Additionally, by leveraging BETBY’s AI-driven technology, AI Labs, Calímaco’s partners will gain access to an unparalleled betting experience tailored to the needs of the LATAM market.

Known for its scalable and robust casino and lottery platform, Calímaco will significantly enhance its offering with an additional 300,000+ events, 8,000+ markets, 125+ sports, and 35+ esports provided by BETBY, cementing its position as a go-to supplier in the region’s competitive iGaming landscape.

Stefanos Karakidis, Head of Business Development at BETBY, commented: “We are excited to partner with Calímaco, a company that shares our vision for technological excellence and operator-focused innovation. Integrating our complete sportsbook solution into Calímaco’s platform will enable brands across LATAM to elevate their sports betting offerings and provide their users with an exceptional experience.”

Alejandro Serrano, Head of Business Development at Calímaco, added: “BETBY’s sportsbook technology is renowned for its flexibility, scalability, reliability, and comprehensive coverage. Incorporating their award-winning solution into our platform will empower our partners with world-class sports betting capabilities, further strengthening our presence in the Latin American market.”

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GLI® Names Sangeeta Reddy as Vice President, Innovation

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GLI® Names Sangeeta Reddy as Vice President, Innovation

 

To ensure the company keeps its global clients well ahead of the technology curve, Gaming Laboratories International (GLI®) has named Sangeeta Reddy as Vice President, Innovation. Previously, she served as Vice President of Engineering. Reddy will lead the company’s newly formed Innovation division.

“Technology is advancing at a breathtaking rate. Our mission at GLI is to advance with technology, while also constantly finding ways to do more to keep our clients informed and ahead of what’s next. In her new role, Sangeeta will continue to evolve our evaluation methodologies via her passion for R&D, her extensive experience both in and out of the gaming, and her strong academic background,” said President and CEO James R. Maida.

Reddy began her gaming industry career in 2001 as a PA Engineer at IGT, specializing in VLT, Slot games. She joined GLI in 2020. Prior to joining GLI, Reddy successfully managed Software QA and Development teams at Thomson Reuters and General Motors.

She holds a certificate from the Harvard Business Publishing’s Emerging Leaders program and a certificate in Associates Computer Information Systems. Her Postgraduate certification includes Chief Technology Officer Program, Business Analytics: From Data to Insights, and Driving Strategic Innovation: Leading Complex Initiatives for Impact from the Wharton School Aresty Institute of Executive Education and certifications in Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Business Applications, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Science and Business Analytics from the Texas McCombs School of Business, Postgraduate Program.

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