Illinois gamblers wagered over $839 million on sports throughout April. An impressive haul, despite the 14% drop from March’s record-breaking $971 million handle.
Illinois sports betting is heading into the slower stretch of the year. The summer typically produces lower numbers for sportsbooks around the country.
It will be hard for the state’s market to reach new heights until the NFL season returns.
Despite that, Illinois gamblers are still betting at an incredible pace. The NBA playoffs and MLB season are doing their part to bolster the numbers.
Illinois April 2022 sports betting handle
No surprise here, but the vast majority of April’s handle came from online wagers.
Sports betting apps racked up over $810 million worth of bets throughout the month. That was good for over 96% of the total wagers in the state.
All of that generated about $68 million of Illinois sports betting revenue for gambling companies, plus $11 million worth of taxes.
| Licensee | Online Brand | Handle | Revenue | Hold | Taxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairmount Park | FanDuel | $287,947,008 | $33,370,897 | 11.6% | $5,534,629 |
| Casino Queen East St. Louis | DraftKings | $217,679,655 | $14,119,733 | 6.5% | $2,373,962 |
| Rivers Des Plaines | BetRivers | $105,972,072 | $6,236,613 | 5.9% | $1,041,282 |
| Hawthorne | PointsBet | $72,012,898 | $6,274,234 | 8.7% | $1,031,164 |
| Par-A-Dice | BetMGM | $52,713,476 | $2,806,754 | 5.3% | $409,931 |
| Hollywood Aurora | Barstool | $52,301,069 | $3,340,341 | 6.4% | $615,148 |
| Grand Victoria | Caesars | $46,463,693 | $1,436,851 | 3.1% | $230,553 |
| Argosy | $3,067,954 | $489,677 | 16.0% | $65,857 | |
| Hollywood Joliet | $1,229,058 | $159,691 | 13.0% | $18,960 | |
| Total | $839,386,882 | $68,234,791 | 8.1% | $11,321,487 |
Basketball leads Illinois April betting
Basketball was the most popular option for Illinois sports betting during April. That’s no surprise given that the NCAA Championship and the NBA playoffs both took place during that stretch.
Gamblers in the Land of Lincoln wagered nearly $300 million on hoops in April, which was more than enough to claim the top spot in the state. Here’s a quick look at the most popular sports for betting throughout the month:
- Basketball: $291.6 million
- Parlay: $190.2 million
- Baseball: $135.5 million
- Tennis: $64.8 million
- Hockey: $39.9 million
Basketball was the shining star, but baseball certainly held up its end of the heavy lifting.
Both of Chicago’s teams generate plenty of betting interest on their own. Regardless of whether the numbers came from betting on the Cubs, White Sox or any other team, Illinois baseball fans were out in full force during April.
NHL playoffs should boost hockey
Only a small piece of the state’s $839 million April handle came from hockey, but that could be changing during May.
The NHL playoffs began on May 2 this year, so the return of postseason action could help spur some more betting interest for the next revenue report. Even without the Chicago Blackhawks in the mix this year.
That might end up being enough for the sport to claim a podium spot, although the basketball and baseball duo isn’t going anywhere. At the very least, it wouldn’t be shocking to see hockey’s numbers surpass tennis during May.
FanDuel and DraftKings dominate
In terms of sports betting companies, FanDuel and DraftKings were the leaders in the state’s market.
The duo racked up over $500 million, or nearly 60% of the total number of April wagers. That’s a dominant piece of the market that’s outpacing the other five online sportsbooks in the state combined.
The two betting apps have a great hold on their spots in the state, but more competition is on the way in the near future.
Circa Sports recently applied for an Illinois sports betting license of its own. WynnBet filed similar paperwork just last week.
DraftKings and FanDuel aren’t in any real danger of losing their market share anytime soon, but new sportsbooks coming to Illinois is still a win for gamblers in the state overall.
Generally speaking, the more competition the better. All of that leads to better odds, deals and offers that gamblers around the state can take advantage of.
Although Circa and Wynn are a ways away from making their Illinois debuts, their arrivals are still worth keeping an eye on in the near future. Before too long, sports bettors could have a few new options to pick from.
