Press Releases
ILLINOIS SPORTSBOOKS HIT $400 MILLION IN WAGERING IN AUGUST Sports betting volume rises in August, foreshadowing what will be a busy fall, according to PlayIllinois

Illinois sportsbooks began to emerge from a summer slowdown in August with an 8.5% gain in betting volume from July, the first month-over-month gain in wagering since March. The boost to more than $400 million in wagering was welcome ahead of a critical time of year for the industry, according to PlayIllinois, which tracks the state’s regulated online gaming and sports betting market.
“Interest in baseball, particularly the White Sox, coupled with the return of football in August, set the stage for what will certainly be the busiest four-month stretch ever for Illinois’ legal sports betting industry,” said Eric Ramsey, an analyst for the PlayUSA.com Network, which includes PlayIllinois.com. “After summer, any gain is welcome. But the gains in August should pale in comparison to what we see with a full football schedule.”
Illinois’ retail and online sportsbooks accepted $400.4 million in bets in August, up 185.8% from $140.1 million in August 2020 and up 8.5% from $369.1 million in July, according to official data released Tuesday. The per-day betting volume grew to $12.9 million over the 31 days of August, up from $4.5 million per day in August 2020 and $11.9 million per day in July.
Gross gaming revenue fell 12.3% to $32.7 million in August from $37.3 million in July, which produced $26.8 million in adjusted gross revenue. August’s profit yielded $4.3 million in state and local taxes.
Baseball garnered the most interest in August, drawing $139.6 million in wagers, up from $124.0 million of action in July. Tennis ($43.4 million) and soccer ($30.8 million) drew significant interest, too. With just a handful of college and NFL preseason games, in addition to futures betting, football attracted $17.2 million in wagering.
August’s volume helped push the industry to $4.0 million in wagers and $326.3 million in gross gaming revenue for the year. And with football projected to draw more than $20 billion in wagering across the country, the state could reach $6 billion in wagering and $500 million in gross revenue by year’s end.
“There is little question that the final four months of the year will bring an onslaught of fresh records,” said Joe Boozell, lead analyst for PlayIllinois.com. “The biggest unknown is how much will in-person registration and the ban on wagering on in-state college teams drag on betting volume. We know it will be a strong finish to the year for sportsbooks, but it won’t be as good for the industry as it could have been.”
August’s wagering included $380.2 million in online bets, accounting for 95.0% of the state’s handle. DraftKings/Casino Queen topped Illinois again with $149.2 million in combined online and retail handle, up from $122.7 million in July. The operator took in a market-best $146.6 million in online wagers, too. In all, DraftKings generated a market-leading $11.3 million in gross gaming revenue, a notable gain from $9.5 million in July after the operator began offering profitable same-game parlays.
FanDuel was second with $111.5 million in online and retail wagers, down from $118.5 million in bets in July. $110.9 million of August’s wagering came online. The result was $10.5 million in gross gaming revenue.
The leaders were followed by:
- BetRivers/Rivers Casino ($73.5 million in wagers, including $64.8 million online; $6.1 million in revenue)
- PointsBet/Hawthorne Race Course ($28.9 million in wagers, including $27.3 million online; $2.5 million in revenue)
- Barstool/Hollywood Aurora ($26.4 million in wagers, including $25.5 million online; $2.1 million in revenue)
- Caesars by William Hill/Grand Victoria ($6.5 million in wagers, including $5.2 million online; -$157,256 in revenue)
- Argosy ($3.3 million in retail wagers; $242,700 in revenue)
- Hollywood Joliet ($771,613 in retail wagers; $74,856 in revenue)
- Par-A-Dice ($266,658 in wagers; $5,043 in revenue)
“The return of football brings in high betting volume, which is a motivator for every operator,” Boozell said. “But the value of football season for sportsbooks isn’t just in short-term profitability. Strong engagement offers sportsbooks an opportunity to grow their customer base by using aggressive promotions and other marketing strategies. And that can pay off even after the football season ends.”
For more revenue information, visit PlayIllinois.com/revenue.
Conferences
Salsa Technology gears up for SBC Summit Rio with FORMULA-BET

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

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
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.”
International News
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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