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PlayIllinois.com: Sports betting slows, but Illinois quickest ever to $5 billion in wagering

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Illinois sportsbooks

 

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.

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“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.”

Conferences

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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