Press Releases
PlayIllinois.com: Sports betting nearly reaches $600 million in September

Football fueled a surge in betting in September at Illinois sportsbooks, which combined to generate nearly $600 million in wagers. September’s handle was short of the state record of $633.6 million in March, dampened by an in-person online registration rule that will likely be lifted on March 5, according to PlayIllinois, which tracks the state’s regulated online gaming and sports betting market.
“September will set a U.S. record for legal sports betting, and Illinois was able to meet those expectations,” said Joe Boozell, lead analyst for PlayIllinois.com. “But as strong as September’s results were, in-person registration continues to limit Illinois’ ceiling. Assuming the governor signs the bill that will put an end to the rule on March 5, Illinois will begin breaking through this monthly handle plateau in spring.”
Bettors poured $596.5 million in wagers into Illinois retail and online sportsbooks in September, up 95.4% from $305.2 million in September 2020 and up 49% from $400.4 million in August, according to official data released Monday. September’s handle equates to $19.9 million in bets per day, up from $10.2 million per day in September 2020 and up from $12.9 million over the 31 days of August.
Accordingly, gross revenue rose 279.3% to $44.6 million in September from $11.8 million in September 2020 and up 36.3% from $32.7 million in August. That led to $40.0 million in adjusted gross revenue in September, yielding $6.5 million in state and local taxes.
With the first three weekends of the NFL and a full month of college games played in September, football drew $230.6 million in wagers. That is up from just $17.2 million in August. Baseball attracted $115.9 million in bets, down from $139.6 million in August. Tennis ($55.3 million) and soccer ($34.3 million) also generated significant interest.
“The NFL, and to a lesser extent college football, is irreplaceable in its ability to motivate bettors,” Boozell said. “General interest in football helps Illinois’ sportsbooks overcome the struggles of the Chicago Bears, and the ban on betting on in-state college teams. Plus, sportsbooks continued to capitalize on the playoff run by the White Sox in September.”
Only New Jersey ($1.01 billion) and Nevada ($786.7 million) attracted more bets during September than Illinois, which surpassed Pennsylvania’s $578.8 million.
Since launching legal sports betting in 2020, Illinois has generated:
- $6.5 billion in wagers, fourth most among all markets during that time
- $508.3 million in gross revenue
- $78.3 million in state taxes
“With the end to in-person registration in sight, Illinois’ future is awfully bright again,” said Eric Ramsey, analyst for the PlayUSA.com Network, which includes PlayIllinois.com. “It is not difficult to imagine a world where it is again challenging the nation’s largest sports betting markets.”
Online betting accounted for 95.5%, or $569.9 million, of the state’s handle in September. DraftKings/Casino Queen topped the state with $236.5 million in combined online and retail handle, up from $149.2 million in August. That included an Illinois-best $232.1 million in online wagers. The operator took in $8.0 million in gross revenue on September’s bets, up from $11.3 million in August.
FanDuel was again second with $156.2 million in online and retail wagers, up from $111.5 million in bets in August. $155.0 million of August’s wagers came online. FanDuel’s combined handle created $18.0 million in gross revenue.
The leaders were followed by:
- BetRivers/Rivers Casino ($98.5 million in wagers, including $87.3 million online; $9.3 million in revenue)
- Barstool/Hollywood Aurora ($46.5 million in wagers, including $45.3 million online; $4.2 million in revenue)
- PointsBet/Hawthorne Race Course ($43.9 million in wagers, including $41.9 million online; $3.6 million in revenue)
- Caesars by William Hill/Grand Victoria ($9.4 million in wagers, including $8.2 million online; $595,393 in revenue)
- Argosy ($3.3 million in retail wagers; $412,858 in revenue)
- Hollywood Joliet ($1.3 million in retail wagers; $257,992 in revenue)
- Par-A-Dice ($629,829 in wagers; $159,804 in revenue)
“DraftKings and FanDuel have been the main beneficiaries of Illinois’ relatively small roster of operators, which is still absent some of the nation’s largest operators, including No. 3 BetMGM,” Ramsey said. “Ideally, with the latest changes there will be renewed interest in Illinois from operators.
Compliance Updates
QTech Games sharpens its LatAm focus with MINCETUR licence in Peru

New certification for emerging-markets leader arrives ahead of key industry summit in Sao Paulo and awards recognition
QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for emerging markets, has had its platform and games successfully approved for the Peruvian market, demonstrating that its premier B2B platform and all-encompassing content conforms to the latest legislative updates to enhance and regulate Peru’s local gaming environment.
Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Commerce and Tourism (MINCETUR) has now issued an online gaming licence to QTech Games, whereby all its platform products and games are now deemed legally permitted. This includes its new software service for retail, QTech Hybrid, which allows land-based partners to scale their operations online. QTech Hybrid simplifies transactions by enabling deposits, withdrawals and gameplay while allowing access to players both in-shop and on personal devices.
This breakthrough hybrid solution has quickly won clients and awards in the comparably fragmented African market (most recently in March for Best Innovation at AGE Lagos), and now promises to do likewise across LatAm, where QTech Games has already signed several major clients for both its aggregation platform and its QTech Hybrid solution. This activity has seen it again nominated for Best Aggregator at the SiGMA Americas Awards, which kickstart the SiGMA Americas summit (7-10 April) next week, as the igaming world converges on Sao Paulo for a must-attend conference in another of QTech Games’ “focus markets” for 2025.
Philip Doftvik, QTech Games’ CEO, said: “It’s fantastic to have certified our aggregation platform in Peru via MINCETUR – and I’m pleased to say we have more such approvals pending across the continent. We attended fantastic events in Rio and, more recently, SAGSE 2025 in Buenos Aires – and anticipate more of the same at SiGMA Americas in Sao Paulo next week, where we’re also thrilled to have been shortlisted for Best Aggregator at their LatAm Awards. Given the venue, Brazil will be dominating the discussion for many at SiGMA Sao Paulo. However, we’ll also be looking beyond Brazilian borders this year, and are already active in Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay. We know our QTech Hybrid solution will work very well wherever we put a pin on the LatAm map.”
QTech Games delegates will be present at five more LatAm summits in 2025, with SiGMA Americas (7 April) the next port of call – followed by GAT Expo Cartagena (28 April), SBC Americas (13 May), Peru Gaming Show (18 June) and GAT Expo Mexico (28 Aug).
Latest News
BETBY STRENGTHENS LATAM PRESENCE THROUGH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH CALÍMACO

BETBY, an industry-leading sports betting provider, has announced a long-term partnership with Calímaco, a premium B2B sportsbook supplier with a strong foothold across Latin America. This collaboration aligns with BETBY’s expansion strategy in the LATAM market, reinforcing its commitment to delivering state-of-the-art sportsbook solutions in the region.
As part of the agreement, Calímaco will integrate BETBY’s award-winning sportsbook solution, including its proprietary esports feed BETBY Games, and comprehensive trading and risk management services. Additionally, by leveraging BETBY’s AI-driven technology, AI Labs, Calímaco’s partners will gain access to an unparalleled betting experience tailored to the needs of the LATAM market.
Known for its scalable and robust casino and lottery platform, Calímaco will significantly enhance its offering with an additional 300,000+ events, 8,000+ markets, 125+ sports, and 35+ esports provided by BETBY, cementing its position as a go-to supplier in the region’s competitive iGaming landscape.
Stefanos Karakidis, Head of Business Development at BETBY, commented: “We are excited to partner with Calímaco, a company that shares our vision for technological excellence and operator-focused innovation. Integrating our complete sportsbook solution into Calímaco’s platform will enable brands across LATAM to elevate their sports betting offerings and provide their users with an exceptional experience.”
Alejandro Serrano, Head of Business Development at Calímaco, added: “BETBY’s sportsbook technology is renowned for its flexibility, scalability, reliability, and comprehensive coverage. Incorporating their award-winning solution into our platform will empower our partners with world-class sports betting capabilities, further strengthening our presence in the Latin American market.”
Latest News
GLI® Names Sangeeta Reddy as Vice President, Innovation

To ensure the company keeps its global clients well ahead of the technology curve, Gaming Laboratories International (GLI®) has named Sangeeta Reddy as Vice President, Innovation. Previously, she served as Vice President of Engineering. Reddy will lead the company’s newly formed Innovation division.
“Technology is advancing at a breathtaking rate. Our mission at GLI is to advance with technology, while also constantly finding ways to do more to keep our clients informed and ahead of what’s next. In her new role, Sangeeta will continue to evolve our evaluation methodologies via her passion for R&D, her extensive experience both in and out of the gaming, and her strong academic background,” said President and CEO James R. Maida.
Reddy began her gaming industry career in 2001 as a PA Engineer at IGT, specializing in VLT, Slot games. She joined GLI in 2020. Prior to joining GLI, Reddy successfully managed Software QA and Development teams at Thomson Reuters and General Motors.
She holds a certificate from the Harvard Business Publishing’s Emerging Leaders program and a certificate in Associates Computer Information Systems. Her Postgraduate certification includes Chief Technology Officer Program, Business Analytics: From Data to Insights, and Driving Strategic Innovation: Leading Complex Initiatives for Impact from the Wharton School Aresty Institute of Executive Education and certifications in Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Business Applications, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Science and Business Analytics from the Texas McCombs School of Business, Postgraduate Program.
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