Illinois betting revenue drops despite record handle in December
| By Daniel O'Boyle
Illinois sports bettors set another new record for handle in December at $491.7m, up 9.0% from the prior month despite almost no retail activity, but revenue plummeted 41.3% from November to $23.9m.
With casinos across the state closed for much of the month, retail betting revenue came to just $97,915. Retail handle was just $182,701, with a large portion of revenue coming from bets placed in before casinos closed in November.
DraftKings’ sportsbook at Casino Queen in East St Louis was the leader in retail revenue, bringing in more than the state’s total at $106,254 as Rush Street Interactive’s sportsbook at Rivers Casino Des Plaines lost money for the month.
Online revenue came to $23.8m, which was down 40.0% from November. Online players placed bets worth $487.3m, up 12.4%, as players won much more of their online bets.