By KEVIN BESSLER for the Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (IRN) — The usual slowdown in summer sports betting hasn’t affected Illinois players.
According to Sportshandle, Illinois generated nearly $765 million in traditional handle during May. That was the third highest total in the country behind New York and New Jersey.
May is typically the beginning of a slowdown for sports gambling, but the NBA playoffs and Major League Baseball helped the Land of Lincoln come through with a solid month. Around $375 million was bet on the two sports alone.
“Illinois’ handle was essentially higher in March and April, but it did not decline as precipitously as other states have in those months so the decline was actually less than 10% which to me was a little surprising,” said Chris Altruda with Sportshandle.
May’s betting receipts created nearly $11 million worth of taxes for the state.
Football is the most popular sport for betting in the U.S. The return of the National Football League will no doubt boost sports betting numbers. Altruda also believes if more sports betting outlets come online, Illinois will set records.
“It depends on the Illinois Gaming Board’s movement whether or not there are additional operators in the state, so it is possible another operator could enter the field by that point and if they do it just raises the likelihood of a billion dollar handle,” said Altruda.
Illinois set a new record for wagers in a single month earlier this year when the NCAA College Basketball tournament helped boost March’s handle to $971 million.
FanDuel was the top online operator in May, claiming nearly $31.9 million in revenue.