Press Releases
PlayIllinois.com: Sports betting drops again, but Illinois remains nation’s No. 2
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.
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.
Latest News
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SELECTS SPORTRADAR TO TRANSFORM PLAYER TALENT SCOUTING FOR ALL 30 CLUBS
Sportradar today announced a multiyear agreement with Major League Baseball (MLB) to offer unparalleled sports performance analysis of amateur baseball prospects, through its Synergy Coaching and Scouting solution, to the league and its 30 Clubs. This new partnership will revolutionize player talent scouting through Sportradar’s advanced, proprietary technology and highlights Sportradar’s commitment to delivering innovative and game-changing solutions to the league.
Under the agreement, MLB and its 30 Clubs will gain access to an unprecedented depth of player analysis and insights with event coverage expanding significantly, from 3,300 to more than 20,000 games – an over 600% increase. This includes college, international, professional partner leagues and leading amateur leagues, such as the MLB Draft League, the Appalachian League and MLB Develops events, and, for the first time, top high school events.
The Synergy Coaching and Scouting solution is uniquely positioned to address the player evaluation needs of MLB as it leverages Sportradar’s expertise ingesting and transforming millions of data points from video into detailed metrics, actionable insights and dynamic visualizations. This, combined with Sportradar’s AI-powered sports performance technology, enables Synergy to provide unparalleled, in-depth analysis of every player, play and game situation, and equips MLB and Club scouts with the information and insights they need to streamline the evaluation process, guide draft decisions and support the development of future MLB players.
“Sportradar’s cutting-edge technology, alongside our reputation as a trusted partner to leading US sports leagues, is driving the transformation of sports performance analysis,” said Eduard Blonk, Chief Commercial Officer, Sportradar. “Through Synergy we are pleased that we are expanding our relationship with MLB, equipping them with the deep data and insights they need to identify the next generation of players. We are eager to continue bringing innovative solutions to MLB.”
“We are excited to expand our relationship with Sportradar and ensure equal access to the Synergy video and data services for all 30 MLB Clubs. This platform has become a key resource for Clubs in the domestic and international scouting process and we look forward to continuing our work with Sportradar in the coming years,” said John D’Angelo, MLB’s Sr. Vice President of Amateur and Medical Operations.
Financial reports
Commercial Gaming Revenue Growth Continues in Q3 2024, Driving Industry’s 15th Consecutive Quarter of Growth
U.S. commercial gaming revenue reached $17.71 billion in Q3 2024, the industry’s highest-grossing Q3 on record, according to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker. This makes Q3 2024 the industry’s 15th consecutive quarter of annual revenue growth, with September marking the 43rd straight month of rising year-over-year commercial gaming revenue.
Through the first nine months of the year, nationwide commercial gaming revenue stands at $53.24 billion, pacing 8.0 percent ahead of 2023 and putting the industry on track for a fourth straight record revenue year.
In Q3 2024, 29 of the 35 commercial gaming jurisdictions operational last year saw increased year-over-year revenue. This growth resulted in an 8.9 percent year-over-year increase in state and local taxes tied directly to gaming revenue, with commercial gaming operators contributing $3.79 billion in taxes across the quarter.
Quarterly revenue from land-based gaming – encompassing casino slots, table games and retail sports betting – totaled $12.56 billion, 0.62 percent lower than Q3 2023. Meanwhile, combined revenue from online sports betting and iGaming totaled $5.14 billion in Q3 2024 as online gaming made up 29.0 percent of commercial gaming revenue, a significantly higher share than in Q3 2023.
Looking at each sector in Q3 2024:
- Traditional Gaming: Traditional brick-and-mortar casino gaming generated quarterly revenue of $12.38 billion, a contraction of 0.9 percent year-over-year.
- Legal Sports Betting: Americans legally wagered $30.3 billion on sports, generating $3.24 billion in quarterly revenue (+42.4% YoY). Recent market launches in Kentucky, Maine, North Carolina and Vermont contributed to this growth.
- iGaming: iGaming generated $2.08 billion in revenue, marking a 30.3 percent year-over-year increase.
“Q3 2024 continued gaming’s momentum from the first half of the year, with online casino and sports betting driving strong growth. At the same time, new brick-and-mortar casino openings bolstered traditional gaming, which still accounts for the bulk of industry revenue,” said AGA Vice President of Research David Forman. “More than a quarter of commercial revenue now regularly comes from online sources, raising the importance of continued sustainable growth with consumers in those states.”
Popular iGaming content provider BGaming has solidified its market position in Brazil by securing an aggregation deal with Cometa Gaming.
Cometa Gaming is an online casino and sportsbook aggregator with several brands in Brazilian market, all in the regulatory process. The group handpicks the best slot studios in the industry to meet the high standards of its passionate players.
BGaming has initially launched its entire portfolio with Cometa Gaming’s iGaming and sports betting brand Br4bet, including popular titles such as Fruit Million, Burning Chilli X and Space XY. The provider will continue to roll out its games across several of the platform’s other brands over the coming months.
This latest partnership demonstrates BGaming’s growing demand in LatAm ahead of the Brazil’s regulated market launching in January, where it remains committed to delivering a safe, fair and entertaining experience for players.
Gian Carlo Ferrini, Sales Manager at BGaming, said: “Partnering with Cometa Gaming is a major move for BGaming, enabling us to broaden the reach of our award-winning content to LatAm players across its multiple brands. So far, we have enjoyed early success with Br4bet and look forward to launching with Cometa Gaming’s other casino sites in the future.”
Thomaz Campos, COO at Cometa Gaming, said: “BGaming continues to break new ground in Brazil and we are delighted to have them live on Br4bet. Their games will help us achieve our goal of delivering the most appealing and forward-thinking content to players, as we both work towards a shared commitment to excellence.”
BGaming is a fast-growing iGaming content provider converting gambling into gaming. Thanks to an expert team and a player-driven approach, the studio creates innovative and engaging products featured on reputable platforms and 1,600+ online casinos worldwide. BGaming is the world’s first to support cryptocurrencies and offer Provably Fair games. Today the brand’s portfolio includes 150+ products with HD graphics and a clear user interface for every device. The studio is also known for its brand exclusives created in partnerships with leading operators in the industry.
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