Press Releases
PlayIllinois.com: Sports betting slows, but Illinois quickest ever to $5 billion in wagering
Wagering at Illinois sportsbooks slowed in June to below $500 million for the first time since December 2020 while revenue once again surged, as the effects of summer’s sports calendar and in-person registration requirements continued to be felt. Even as the Prairie State remains in line with trends seen in most major U.S. markets, Illinois managed to reach $5 billion in lifetime handle quicker than any market in U.S. history, according to analysts from PlayIllinois, which tracks the state’s regulated online gaming and sports betting market.
“Illinois sportsbooks is very much continuing down the same path as most major U.S. markets in June, with revenue surging despite the seasonal headwinds working to keep handle down,” said Eric Ramsey, analyst for the PlayUSA.com Network, which includes PlayIllinois.com. “Fortunately for them, sportsbooks only have to endure one more month of sluggish action before the fall sports season reignites the industry.”
Illinois’ retail and online sportsbooks took in $476.5 million in wagers in June, down 6.1% from $507.3 million in May, according to official data released Thursday. That is the lowest handle in the state since sportsbooks collected $449.2 million in November 2020. The day-by-day pace of betting slowed to $15.9 million over the 30 days of June, which was down from $16.9 million per day in May.
The month’s handle placed Illinois No. 3 in the U.S. in June, behind New Jersey ($766.9 million) and Nevada ($545.5 million), but ahead of Pennsylvania ($420.2 million). More impressive, though, June’s handle pushed the lifetime total for the state to $5.1 billion. Illinois is just the fourth state to reach $5 billion, and the state’s sportsbooks did it in 16 months, breaking New Jersey’s record of 18 months.
“Even with all the twists and turns over the last year, namely the back-and-forth with in-person registration requirements and pandemic restrictions, Illinois continues to break new ground,” said Joe Boozell, analyst for PlayIllinois.com. “Illinois bettors remain highly engaged, keeping the state entrenched among the nation’s sports betting heavyweights like Nevada and New Jersey.”
As June’s handle fell, gross gaming revenue rose 31.8% to $48.2 million from $36.6 million in May. That is the third highest revenue total in state history, only surpassed by the record $49.9 million set in March and $49.4 million in January. July’s gross revenue produced $47.5 million in adjusted gross revenue, yielding $7.7 million in state and local taxes.
The revenue jump is a product of the way bettors tend to engage with summer sports.
Basketball remained the top sport, attracting $126.9 million in bets, which was down from $154.3 million in wagering in May. Baseball betting remained relatively flat, producing $126.7 million in bets, up from $126.1 million in May.
Meanwhile, parlay bets swelled to $101.1 million in bets, generating a whopping $22.8 million in revenue for sportsbooks. Tennis jumped to $40.3 million in wagers from $32.6 million in May.
“Bettors interact with individual sports like golf and tennis differently than major U.S. team sports like football, placing more futures bets and single-game parlay bets that carry lower odds to win,” Ramsey said. “For sportsbooks those bets are particularly important during the summer when volume drops. And it puts sportsbooks in an excellent position as football season approaches.”
$451.7 million, or 94.8%, of June’s bets were made online. DraftKings/Casino Queen remained in the market lead with $160.2 million in combined online and retail handle, down from $170.1 million in May. June’s handle included $157.1 million of online bets and $14.0 million in gross gaming revenue.
FanDuel’s online and retail sportsbooks attracted $156.3 million in bets in June, which was flat from May. The month’s bets, $155.3 million of which came online, generated a market-leading $20.3 million in gross gaming revenue.
BetRivers/Rivers Casino rose to $83.2 million in combined handle, including $71.2 million in online wagering. That led to $7.5 million in gross gaming revenue.
The leaders were followed by:
- PointsBet/Hawthorne Race Course ($35.6 million in wagers, including $33.6 million online; $3.4 million in revenue)
- Barstool/Hollywood Aurora ($30.4 million in wagers, including $28.7 million online; $2.1 million in revenue)
- William Hill/Grand Victoria ($6.6 million in wagers, including $5.9 million online; $504,006 in revenue)
- Argosy ($2.7 million in retail wagers; $359,010 in revenue)
- Hollywood Joliet ($1.2 million in wagers; $95,949 in revenue)
- Par-A-Dice ($360,804 in wagers; -$69,131 in revenue)
The fight for market share was largely static in June. This as lawmakers continue to grapple with in-person registration requirements and a $20 million licensing fee for online-only operators.
“Without a legislative fix, in-person registration will continue to be an issue that alters the market,” Boozell said. “Worse, if no operator pays the hefty online-only fee when those licenses become available in December it could make in-person registration permanent. We will see if legislators are able to either lower the price of the online-only licenses to make them more attractive or make it so that the online-only licenses aren’t the trigger for remote registration.”
On November 6, the iGaming industry in Mexico is preparing for a key event in which the benefits and challenges that regulation has brought to the Mexican market will be discussed. Under the title “Benefits of Regulation in the Mexican Market”, this panel will offer an in-depth look at the impact of regulation on transparency, competition and consumer protection, critical issues in the new digital era of iGaming.
The event, moderated by Geraldine Alexandra García Torres, Media Manager of Digital Gaming News, will feature the participation of recognized figures in the sector such as Daniel Magariños, representative of BMM Testlabs, and Hermilo Peregrina Cabrera of Prometeo IT Solutions. Both panelists will contribute their extensive knowledge and experience in regulation and certification in the Mexican market, and will analyze with the public the challenges and opportunities that companies face in an increasingly competitive and regulated context.
BMM Testlabs, who will participate as a Gold Sponsor, underlines with its sponsorship the importance of regulation to strengthen the iGaming sector in Mexico and demonstrates its commitment to progress and transparency in the Mexican market. For its part, Kushki joins as a Silver Sponsor, promoting the dialogue and analysis necessary for the industry.
Daniel Magariños, from BMM Testlabs, expressed his enthusiasm for participating in this digital webinar: “It has been a pleasure to be able to share our comments as a Laboratory on a market like the Mexican one and exchange opinions with a reference like Hermilo and the company Prometeo IT Solutions, with its excellent track record in this market. A relaxed talk with a lot of learning that I hope will be interesting for the attendees.”
For his part, Hermilo Peregrina, from Prometeo IT Solutions, highlighted the relevance of these spaces for dialogue: “Thank you to Conferencias iGaming for the invitation to participate in this panel. Thanks to Geraldine for coordinating us, and it was a pleasure to share ideas and opinions with my friend Daniel from BMM Testlabs, who has extensive experience in international regulations and certifications.”
Sponsor Support
The panel has the support of important sponsors who recognize the relevance of regulation in the development of the iGaming market in Mexico. Among them, BMM Testlabs as Gold Sponsor, and Kushki as Silver Sponsor.
Event Details:
Date: November 6
Time: 10:00 a.m. (Mexico)
Registration: Register here
Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this essential conversation for the future of the industry. Secure your place and access a key analysis on the dynamic iGaming market in Mexico!
Latest News
Paige Spiranac Expands SportsGrid’s Content Portfolio with Exclusive Sports and Casino-Themed Shows
SportsGrid, the leading free ad supported television network in the sports genre, proudly announces a multi-year partnership with former professional golfer and social media’s most followed golf personality and social media sensation Paige Spiranac. Under this agreement, Spiranac will lead exclusive original casino-themed programming, marking a significant expansion in SportsGrid’s content offerings.
As one of the most recognizable influencers in the world of sports and entertainment, Spiranac brings her signature charisma, deep sports knowledge, and passion for gaming to the new role. She will team with Emmy Award-Winning Executive Producer and EVP of Programming and Development, Scott Lasky, and headline a series of shows featuring engaging sports and casino content, offering fans an unparalleled mix of strategy, insight, and entertainment.
“We are thrilled to welcome Paige Spiranac to the SportsGrid family,” said Jeremy Stein Co-Founder and CEO of SportsGrid. “Her dynamic personality, love for gaming, and connection with sports fans perfectly align with our mission to deliver unique and captivating content. Paige’s presence in our casino programming is a game-changer, and we look forward to seeing her elevate our viewers’ experience as we pioneer this new category.”
The programming will be available across SportsGrid’s platforms, providing fans with 24/7 access to engaging and informative content that blends entertainment with Spiranac’s signature charm and insight.
“I’m thrilled to join SportsGrid and dive into the world of sports gaming with a network that’s truly pushing boundaries in sports and casino entertainment,” said Spiranac. “Creating unique, interactive content for fans who share my passion for gaming is something I’m incredibly excited about. Together with SportsGrid, I look forward to bringing a fresh perspective and delivering the fun, engaging experiences that fans expect and deserve.”
The partnership further solidifies SportsGrid’s position as the leading media platform in the sports wagering and gaming space. With the addition of Spiranac’s unique style and undeniable star power, SportsGrid continues to innovate and set new standards of what’s possible in digital sports entertainment.
SOFTSWISS, a global tech company with over 15 years of experience in iGaming, introduces a new Geo-Distributed Redirect feature of Affilka by SOFTSWISS that helps operators improve engagement and conversion rates by reducing user redirect times.
The Geo-Distributed Redirect feature intelligently routes users to destination landing pages via regional clusters closest to their location. This geo-optimised infrastructure minimises redirect times, increasing successful website visits from referral links. The feature is designed for seamless scalability across multiple regions and enhances performance globally, wherever needed.
With the new feature, Affilka by SOFTSWISS reduced redirect duration by 2.5 to 5 times. At one of the regions, for example, extensive simulated tests showed a decrease in redirect times for users from 1.5 seconds to 300-500 milliseconds – this is one of the fastest responses available in the market. As a result, the feature implementation leads to a 3.5% to 7% growth in users successfully reaching casino sites. This increase in site traffic, in turn, directly contributes to more registrations and deposits.
The Geo-Distributed Redirect feature boosts conversions, accelerates redirects, enhances fault tolerance and high availability, and improves service reliability for users globally. Even during unexpected challenges, the system dynamically reroutes traffic to alternative resources, ensuring a seamless experience.
Gleb Bichan, Product Lead at Affilka by SOFTSWISS, shares his excitement: “With the launch of our Geo-Distributed Redirect feature, we are addressing the needs of clients targeting users worldwide. By reducing redirection times and increasing reliability, we enable our partners to deliver a superior user experience that drives traffic delivery and conversions. This feature is a significant improvement for customers looking to expand their global reach.”
Along with affiliate marketing, SEO website advancement helps operators promote their projects. Considering this, SOFTSWISS issued a comprehensive Casino SEO Audit: The Ultimate Guide, providing tips for increasing any iGaming project’s visibility.
The SOFTSWISS team looks forward to sharing the details of the Geo-Distributed Redirect feature and other product updates at the upcoming SiGMA Europe Expo. Current and potential partners can book a meeting with company representatives at stand 2145 through the contact form.
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS holds a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 23,500 casino games, the Affilka Affiliate platform, the Sportsbook Software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.
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