Play'n GO new release Crabby's Gold
Connect with us
Play'n GO new release Crabby's Gold

Press Releases

PlayIllinois.com: Sportsbooks post huge month, but March could be ‘last hurrah’ for major growth

Published

on

PlayIllinois.com: Sportsbooks post huge month, but March could be 'last hurrah' for major growth

 

Illinois sportsbooks set records for betting and revenue in March, easily reaching $600 million in monthly wagering for the first time and again surpassing Pennsylvania, a dramatic turn one year after the industry’s launch was spoiled by the pandemic-related shutdown of major U.S. sports. But as far as Illinois has come, the state’s newfound position as the nation’s No. 3 market could be short-lived as in-person registration requirements begin to take hold, said PlayIllinois, which analyzes and researches the state’s regulated online gaming and sports betting market.

“March Madness helped deliver a huge month for Illinois, but March is essentially a ‘last hurrah’ for the state’s rapid growth,” said Joe Boozell, analyst for PlayIllinois.com. “Illinois will still be one of the largest U.S. markets because of the population of the state, but it will be difficult to maintain its current status as the U.S. No. 3, much less catch Nevada. No matter how appealing a market, there isn’t any easy way to overcome the inconvenience of in-person registration.”

Spurred by March Madness, betting at Illinois’s retail and online sportsbooks surged to $633.6 million in March, according to official data released Monday. That is up 24.3% from $509.8 million in February and easily topped the previous record $581.6 million in January. Bettors placed $20.4 million per day in the 31 days of March, up from $18.2 million per day in February.

March’s high volume produced $49.9 million in operator revenue, up 64.6% from $30.3 million in February and narrowly topping the record $49.4 million in January. The month’s win created $44.3 million in taxable revenue, which yielded $6.6 million in state taxes and another $493,543 in local taxes.

Illinois surpassed Pennsylvania ($560.3 million) in monthly handle for the second straight month and gained ground on New Jersey ($859.6 million) and Nevada ($641 million). In doing so, the state surpassed $3 billion ($3.6 billion) in lifetime handle.

That stands in stark contrast to March 2020, when Illinois launched retail sportsbooks, taking in $997,739 in bets before a wave of sports cancellations essentially put a hold on sports betting in Illinois until July.

“The growth over the last year has been staggering, making Illinois the quickest to $3 billion in U.S. history,” said Jessica Welman, analyst for PlayIllinois. “The question now becomes what will happen when the brakes are hit on that growth? Does it alarm lawmakers enough to make a change? Or will Illinois be satisfied with where the sports betting market has been frozen in place?”

The NCAA Tournament was the main driver in March, generating an estimated $176.8 million in bets even as bettors were barred from wagering on Illinois and Loyola Chicago. The NBA also drew well, helping to push basketball betting to $365.7 million. The previous high for basketball in a month was $256.7 million.

Tennis also continues to do especially well in Illinois, hitting $47.2 million in wagering, the second-most wagered-on sport.

Advertisement
Stake - Best Online Casino & Sports Betting Platform

“Illinois has grown in some unique ways, but the state’s love of basketball has really carried the state over the last few months,” Boozell said. “If the ban on betting on in-state college teams didn’t exist, Illinois would have likely been the No. 2 market in the U.S. in March.”

Online wagering accounted for 96.1%, or $609 million, of all bets in March. Retail betting generated the remaining $24.6 million.

DraftKings/Casino Queen represented 32.2% of the state’s entire handle in March, generating $207.6 million in online and retail wagers, up from the operator’s $199.8 million handle in February. Nearly $203.9 million of March’s bets came online.

FanDuel/Fairmont attracted $195.2 million in bets — $194.9 million of which came online. BetRivers/Rivers Casino continued to lose pace with the market leaders, generating $95.7 million in online betting and $106.9 million overall, up from $86.9 million in February.

The leaders were followed by:

PointsBet/Hawthorne Race Course ($55 million in wagers, including $53.6 million online; $5.1 million in revenue)
Barstool/Hollywood Casinos ($48.9 million in wagers, including $47.8 million online; $1.1 million in revenue)
William Hill/Grand Victoria ($14.2 million in wagers, including $13.3 million online; -$270,456 in revenue)
Argosy ($4.1 million in wagers; $410,477 in revenue)
Hollywood Joliet ($1.2 million in wagers; $127,344 in revenue)
Par-A-Dice ($628,286 in wagers; -$163,180 in revenue)

“One of the biggest issues with the return of in-person registration is it puts newly launched operators at a permanent disadvantage,” Welman said. “In one way, Barstool was fortunate to launch when it did, helping them build a foundation. But growth will be difficult for all operators, and especially those that are farther away from the largest population centers.”

For more information and analysis on regulated sports betting in Illinois, visit PlayIllinois.com/news.

About the PlayUSA.com Network:
The PlayUSA.com Network is a leading source for news, analysis, and research related to the market for regulated online gaming in the United States. With a presence in over a dozen states, PlayUSA.com and its state-focused branches (including PlayIndiana.com, PlayIllinois.com, PlayNJ.com and PlayPennsylvania.com) produce daily original reporting, publish in-depth research, and offer player advocacy tools related to the advancement of safe, licensed, and legal online gaming options for consumers. Based in Las Vegas, the PlayUSA Network is independently owned and operated, with no affiliation to any casino — commercial, tribal, online, or otherwise.

Advertisement
Stake - Best Online Casino & Sports Betting Platform

Compliance Updates

Intralot informs the investment community about the withdrawal of the Maryland contract award Augu

Published

on

Intralot S.A. informs the investment community that the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (USA), despite an initially favorable recommendation, has ultimately rejected the bid submitted by its subsidiary, Intralot, Inc., for the award of a contract for a new Central Lottery Monitoring and Control System in the State. The rejection was based on the alleged failure to meet the minimum required percentage of subcontracting to local subcontractors.

This decision comes as a great surprise, especially considering that Intralot, Inc. had allocated a significantly higher percentage of the project to local subcontractors than the minimum required.

Moreover, the company had provided the Commission with very detailed clarifications, and the Commission was fully aware of the identity and role of these subcontractors. In fact, the Commission innitially ruled that all participants in the bidding process complied with the requirements of the relevant RFP — something the Commission itself acknowledges.

The Company reserves all its legal rights and intends to pursue every legal remedy available to protect the interests of its shareholders. The bid submitted by Intralot, Inc. is technically sound and by far the most financially advantageous, significantly outperforming the second-best offer. Should it not be accepted, the State of Maryland stands to lose a substantial financial benefit.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Andres Troelsen has been appointed EGT Digital’s Regional Sales Director iGaming for LATAM

Published

on

Andres Troelsen has been appointed EGT Digital's Regional Sales Director iGaming for LATAM

 

EGT Digital is pleased to announce that Andres Troelsen has joined the company’s team. Effective from 01 August, he takes on the position of Regional Sales Director iGaming for the LATAM region.

Mr. Troelsen holds a degree in Business Administration and Management from the prestigious Universidad de Palermo in Buenos Aires. He brings business experience with a strong focus on the gaming sector, most recently serving as Commercial Director LATAM at Belatra. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles across diverse sectors, including winemaking, shipbuilding, legal services, media, and entertainment. Throughout his career, he has consistently delivered strong results, significantly enhancing company performance and helping position those organizations among the leaders in their respective industries.

“I am happy that EGT Digital is giving me this opportunity,” said Mr. Troelsen. “It will be a challenge for me to further increase the brand’s presence in a highly competitive region such as Latin America. I believe that I will successfully cope with the task thanks to my extensive experience in the gaming industry and deep relationships with key operators throughout the local markets. Adding to this the fact that the company’s innovative developments already have an excellent reputation as high-quality solutions able to satisfy the tastes of every type of player, I am confident that we will very quickly position EGT Digital as a top-tier player in LATAM.

Nadia Popova, Chief Revenue Officer and Vice President Sales & Marketing at EGT, also expressed her positive expectations regarding the appointment: “Latin America holds enormous potential for our products, which makes it a region of strategic importance for EGT Digital. Andres Troelsen is the ideal choice, with the skills and leadership needed to achieve our ambitious goals.”

Continue Reading

Latest News

ACR POKER INJECTS DAILY DOSE OF THRILL INTO TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE WITH LAUNCH OF DAILY MYSTERY BOUNTY EVENTS

Published

on

 

Monster top bounty of 10% of the total prize pool up for grabs starting this weekend

ACR Poker today announced the addition of Daily Mystery Bounty events to its tournament lineup starting this Sunday, August 3rd, delivering unmatched entertainment, thrilling action, and big wins to the tables.

Daily Mystery Bounty tournaments turn traditional bounty formats on their head. Once players are in the money, instead of receiving a fixed reward for eliminating an opponent, players receive a Mystery Bounty Chest revealing a mystery reward, with the top bounty prize being 10% of the total prize pool.

“Mystery Bounties are just pure fun,” said ACR Pro Chris Moneymaker. “You never know what you’re going to get when you knock someone out, it could be some random treasure or a monster bounty that flips your whole tournament. With same-day events, fast action and bounty madness on your daily calendar, it keeps the adrenaline going and makes every hand way more exciting.”

The Daily Mystery Bounty schedule features a range of tourneys and buy-ins, with highlights including the $250K GTD Sunday Funday ($215 buy-in), the $150K GTD Major Mash Up ($66 buy-in), and the $100K GTD Moorman’s Mayhem ($630 buy-in). Starting this Sunday, players can log into the ACR Poker client, open the Tournaments tab, and find the full lineup of Daily Mystery Bounty events in the regular schedule under upcoming events.

And don’t forget, the Mystery Bounty madness continues in ACR Poker’s massive Dual Venom tournaments taking place from Sunday, August 10th to Tuesday, August 26th. Not only are the $2,650 buy-in tourneys offering huge guarantees of $8 million in the NHL event and $2 million in the PLO event, but there are massive bounties on the table for those who knock out their competitors.

In the Venom NLH, eliminating just one opponent could earn a player the top bounty prize of $500,000. While in the Venom PLO, which ties ACR Poker’s biggest Omaha tourney ever, there’s a juicy $200,000 bounty for the taking. And that’s not all, every knockout in both tourneys earns players a minimum bounty of at least $5,000.

For full details about the Daily Mystery Bounty tournaments or to find out more about the Dual Mystery Bounty Venoms, visit ACRPoker.eu.

 

Advertisement
Stake - Best Online Casino & Sports Betting Platform
Continue Reading

Trending

GamingAmericas.com (part of HIPTHER) is your one-stop portal for the latest news, insights, and analyses in the gaming industry across the Americas. From legislative updates and market trends to interviews with industry leaders, we provide a comprehensive look at the dynamic landscape of both online and land-based gaming. Whether you're a stakeholder looking to stay ahead of the curve or a gaming enthusiast eager for reliable updates, GamingAmericas.com has got you covered. Follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for real-time updates and exclusive content. Make informed decisions and stay ahead in the game with GamingAmericas.com.

Disclaimer: All the information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Always check your local laws before participating in any gaming activities.

Copyright © 2018 – 2025, HIPTHER. All Rights Reserved.