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Illinois Sports Betting Rakes In Over Half A Billion In January And February

legal Illinois sports betting revenue for January and February 2021 tops $500 million
  • Illinois Sports Betting Generates Over Half A Billion In Revenue In January & February
  • January Handle: $581,553,300
  • February Handle: $509,794,592

The Land of Lincoln has been slow to issue its monthly revenue reports when compared to other legal sports betting states, but it is better late than never for Illinois because their handle collections for the first two months of 2021 has topped the half-billion-dollar mark, setting their highest totals yet.

It is strange that the total sportsbook revenue dipped slightly in February, considering all the activity surrounding betting on the Super Bowl, but January does contain the NFL Playoffs as well as the NCAA CFP and National Title Game.

Legal sports betting in Illinois got off to a rocky start during the Spring of 2020 as its in-person launch stumbled out of the gate amid COVID-19’s onset. The revenue really kicked into gear once mobile sports betting debuted in Illinois, allowing for in-state gamblers to lay some action on their game of choice using their smartphones or tablets.

According to our state-by-state sports betting revenue tracker, a similar trend has been experienced in other states once they’ve allowed for mobile sports betting options.

Sports bettors demand convenience and will take the path of least resistance each and every time. For instance, if a state opts to only feature in-person sportsbooks located in its major metropolitan areas, regional sports gamblers may opt for an offshore betting site or explore a neighboring state’s domestic options.

Allowing for mobile or online sports betting has kicked the monthly and annual revenues, handles, and tax collections into high geat across the board, and is the only legitimate threat to put a dent in the action that international sportsbooks are collecting from online gamblers inside of the United States.

Again, a quick glance at our above-referenced tracker page will provide immediate evidence of this. Just look at the intake numbers from states that do and do not allow for mobile sports betting.

The difference is in the hundreds of millions. Illinois is hip to this, and it is expected that more states will follow suit with mobile sportsbook options after months of overwhelming data.

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