The state of Illinois saw its sportsbetting handle hit $1.03 billion in the month of October, setting a new record for the amount of sports wagers handled in the Land of Lincoln.
The handle number is up 24% from the $831.8 million bet in September. Online handle was $989.3 million, making up 96% of all wagers placed in the state. Retail betting came in at $40.3 million, which was up 9% from September. Football was the most popular sport for wagering, with $358 million bet. Basketball was the second most popular sport at $114 million, and tennis wagers were third at $85 million.
Revenues for the sportsbetting industry came in at $102 million, while $15 million in taxes were paid to the state. Since the launch of the industry in March 2020, Illinois punters have bet $17 billion on events across the twelve sportsbooks. Tax revenues during that time have come in at $190 million, and revenues were $1.3 billion.