Illinois sports bettors wagered over $764 million during May. That handle was a 9% decrease from April’s $839 million haul.
May is typically when gambling markets around the country start to slow down for the summer. The lack of Illinois sports betting options means lower handles for the state during the warmer months.
Despite that, the Land of Lincoln held its own during May. That’s largely thanks to the NBA Playoffs and the MLB season, which were both in full swing throughout the month.
Illinois May 2022 sports betting handle
The vast majority of May’s sports bets were placed online. The month’s $764 million handle translated to $65 million worth of Illinois sports betting revenue.
Of course, the state gets its own piece of the pie. May’s handle created nearly $11 million worth of taxes for Illinois.
| Licensee | Online Brand | Handle | Revenue | Hold | Taxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairmount Park | FanDuel | $254,902,971 | $30,577,690 | 12.0% | $5,147,914 |
| Casino Queen East St. Louis | DraftKings | $208,654,441 | $13,632,301 | 6.5% | $2,248,897 |
| Rivers Des Plaines | BetRivers | $97,940,077 | $8,824,320 | 9.0% | $1,450,222 |
| Hawthorne | PointsBet | $68,403,398 | $4,215,910 | 6.2% | $693,192 |
| Par-A-Dice | BetMGM | $45,430,613 | $3,182,787 | 7.0% | $481,583 |
| Hollywood Aurora | Barstool | $45,106,627 | $2,450,985 | 5.4% | $469,079 |
| Grand Victoria | Caesars | $40,417,142 | $1,759,290 | 4.4% | $272,783 |
| Argosy | $2,521,036 | $294,308 | 11.7% | $36,394 | |
| Hollywood Joliet | $1,215,453 | $276,797 | 22.8% | $38,194 | |
| Total | $764,591,757 | $65,214,388 | 8.5% | $10,838,258 |
NBA Playoff wagers boost Illinois May
Hoops were the big draw for Illinois sports bettors during May. The Chicago Bulls didn’t make it far enough in the playoffs to help boost the month’s numbers, but that didn’t stop basketball fans from betting on the rest of the postseason action.
Here’s a quick rundown of the most popular sports for gambling during May:
- Basketball: $191.2 million
- Baseball: $184.2 million
- Parlay: $160.7 million
- Tennis: $70.9 million
- Hockey: $51.2 million
Baseball season is well underway, and betting on the White Sox and Cubs should help keep gamblers busy throughout the summer months. The sport’s $184 million May handle was a nice step up from April’s $135 million worth of baseball bets.
Basketball won’t be chipping in as much on the next few revenue reports from the state. The NBA Finals took place in June, but the fewer number of overall games will lead to a lower amount of basketball bets in general.
In other words, it’s baseball’s time to do the heavy lifting. That will remain the case until the NFL returns this fall.
With no Summer Olympics to hold gamblers over during the summer, Illinois sports bettors will have to focus on more traditional options this year.
Are new records coming this fall?
The summer months might be slower for the gambling industry, but Illinois is still one of the largest sports betting markets in the entire country.
The state set a new record for wagers in a single month earlier this year. The NCAA Tournament helped Illinois generate a $971 million handle during March.
That fell just short of the state’s first-ever billion-dollar month, but Illinois might be able to reach that height later this year.
Football is the most popular sport for betting in the US. The NFL’s return will do a lot of good for sports betting numbers.
New records are on the table for Illinois later in the year, but for now, the state is chugging through its slower stretch of the calendar.
May’s $764 million handle is a hefty amount, but it might end up feeling small compared to the number of wagers coming later this fall.
