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

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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.

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“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.

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Salsa Technology gears up for SBC Summit Rio with FORMULA-BET

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Salsa Technology is gearing up for SBC Summit Rio 2025, Brazil’s first major iGaming event this year, which takes place from February 25 to 27 at Riocentro, Rio de Janeiro. With its Brazilian DNA and deep local expertise, Salsa Technology is ready to meet with industry leaders to showcase how its FORMULA-BET ecosystem is driving success in Brazil’s newly regulated market.

As the regulatory landscape evolves, operators need speed, reliability, and full compliance to stay ahead. Salsa Technology, one of the few local companies approved in all regulatory proof-of-concept tests, offers a complete ecosystem designed to meet these demands. FORMULA-BET is built for high performance, delivering a powerful PAM platform, Salsa Omni, a fully certified game aggregator, Salsa Gator, and a flexible framework that integrates seamlessly with leading sports betting and payment providers. Designed to ensure full compliance with SIGAP, the Central Bank, and the Federal Revenue Service, FORMULA-BET gives operators the confidence to launch and scale their operations efficiently.

“SBC Summit Rio is a milestone event for the industry and, for Salsa Technology, it’s even more special—we’re playing on home ground. FORMULA-BET is designed to give operators a head start in Brazil’s regulated market, with fast deployment, full regulatory compliance, and the flexibility to meet each operator’s unique needs. Beyond technology, our Brazilian roots enable us to provide hands-on, local support, tailored to the realities of the market,” says Eliane Nunes, CGO at Salsa Technology.

More than just a technology provider, Salsa Technology is a true partner for operators, offering not only cutting-edge solutions but also the local expertise and personalised service that make a difference in such a dynamic market. With a boutique-style approach, the company provides consulting services, direct support in Portuguese, within the Brazilian time zone, and the ability to set up a fully trained player support team tailored to the needs of operators and their customers.

Salsa Technology’s leadership team will be available for meetings throughout SBC Summit Rio, discussing how FORMULA-BET can accelerate business success in the Brazilian market. Besides Eliane Nunes, Salsa’s team attending the event includes CEO Peter Nolte; Business Development Manager, Otavio Miranda; and Retention, Operations & CS Manager, Cathiussa Canez.

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Latest News

Baby Boomers and Gen X Responsible for Increased Betting Activity in Q4 20

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Betting activity increased slightly in Q4 2024 to 26% of consumers, compared to 24% in the same period of 2023. However, this uptick was caused by significant generational changes in activity, primarily among Baby Boomers and Millennials, according to a new report from TransUnion (NYSE: TRU).

While Millennials have dominated all forms of betting in recent years, this generation’s engagement dropped 5% YoY in Q4 2024. Conversely, Baby Boomers and Gen Xers got more involved, with 7% and 4% respective YoY increases. Gen Z bettors’ participation remained about the same. These and many more findings are available in TransUnion’s latest US Betting Report.

“The demographic shift in betting activity serves as a good reminder that the best predictor of engagement is not age but rather increased earnings and liquidity,” said Declan Raines, head of TransUnion’s Gaming business. “Those who have a sudden influx of disposable income are more likely to participate in betting, and operators should keep that in mind when developing their marketing strategies.”

In addition to Millennials, fewer high-value bettors engaged in online and land-based betting activities. High-value bettors are those who spend more than $500 per month on betting. This group’s engagement dropped by 8% with land-based operators and 9% with online operators.

Healthier finances among bettors

The report found high-value bettors also attained improved overall finances. In Q4 2024, 54% of those betting $500 or more per month had good or excellent credit combined with middle or high income. This was up from 50% in the same period in 2023. In addition, those with the riskiest financial profile—having lower income and fair or poor credit—fell from 7% in Q4 2023 to just 4% in Q4 2024.

Bettors proved to have a more resilient financial profile than non-bettors. More than half of consumers who bet in either land-based or online channels said their income had gone up a little or a lot in the past 3 months. Only 21% of non-bettors said the same.

Consumer Credit Scores: Bettors vs Non-bettors

Consumers who bet also had stronger credit scores, with more than half of land-based and online bettors indicating good or excellent credit scores, compared to just 47% of non-bettors. Conversely, one-third of non-bettors fell into credit score ranges that indicate poorer credit quality—including those who don’t know their score—compared to 22% of online bettors and 20% of land-based bettors.

Mounting regulatory pressure

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Regulators and consumer advocacy groups became more focused on the betting industry in 2024. Recent studies published by Northwestern and UCLA outlining the risks to personal finances among a subset of players served to elevate the pressure on gaming operators to implement reasonable procedures to identify and curb problem gaming. In response, the industry formed the Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) to establish industry-wide responsible gaming standards and support research and education on safe practices.

TransUnion’s US Betting Report has consistently found bettors experience higher levels of financial volatility—both positive and negative—relative to non-bettors. This represents a significant challenge for operators when engaging in responsible gaming assessments. It is imperative that gaming operators stay vigilant to ensure their most active players can sustain high levels of play without compromising their financial health.

“As the industry matures, new tools have emerged to help operators assess players’ financial resilience and promote responsible gaming,” said Raines. “Adopting these measures will help build on the significant investments made by the industry in responsible gaming to date as well as demonstrate good faith efforts to regulators and consumers while protecting profitability for operators in the long run.”

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International News

Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) Expands Global Footprint to 17 Countries, pursues Business Development in 10 More

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Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) Expands Global Footprint to 17 Countries, pursues Business Development in 10 More

 

Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) continues its rapid expansion, now operating in 17 countries while actively developing business opportunities in 10 additional markets. This growth, combined with QCI’s presence across 30 U.S. states and 90 tribal nations, cements the company’s position as a global leader in casino and resort intelligence.

“Our expansion into 17 countries is a testament to the universal value of our solutions,” said Andrew Cardno, CTO and Co-Founder of QCI. “We are seeing a clear validation of our business model across diverse markets, proving that our technology can adapt to regional needs while maintaining its core strength in data-driven decision-making. As we continue to grow, our focus remains on delivering unparalleled analytics that drive operational excellence.”

A key factor in QCI’s success has been the introduction of generative cognitive offloading, allowing operators to streamline complex decision-making by leveraging real-time data intelligence without the burden of manual query building. The Chatalytics™ graph and query builders have been particularly well received, providing a revolutionary way for operators to interact with their data using natural language and intuitive visualizations. This next-generation tooling ensures that decision-makers can effortlessly explore insights, refine queries, and drive actions with unprecedented speed and accuracy.

QCI’s expansion is bolstered by its strong partnerships, including Modulus, a leading international technology firm.

“This level of global adoption underscores the effectiveness of QCI’s platform in optimizing gaming and hospitality operations,” said Marc Attal, COO of Modulus. “We are excited to see QCI’s solutions enhancing data activation, operational efficiency, and customer engagement across multiple continents. The ability to offload complex analytical tasks onto generative cognitive models, coupled with Chatalytics’ intuitive graph and query builders, is transforming how operators interact with their data.”

With an increasing presence across North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond, QCI is at the forefront of innovation, empowering gaming and resort operators with generative cognitive offloading, intuitive query-building tools, and real-time data activation.

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