Illinois Sports Betting Sees Sharp Drop
Like clockwork, the Illinois sports betting numbers are among the last to report, and the February numbers are finally in. As expected, the total handle and revenue both saw a sharp decrease in February and that kept up with the trend that has been seen throughout the United States.
The total Illinois sports betting handle for the month of February was $679.4 million, which was a drop of nearly 22 percent from January. Illinois appeared to be on track to reach the $1 billion mark in total handle, but it will have to rebound in March.
Online sports betting once again led the way during the month of February as the mobile handle was $652.3 million. This was the last month that had the in-person registration requirement in place, and remote registration should lead to a bigger month of March.
Not only did the total sports betting handle drop, but the total sports betting revenue did as well. The total revenue for the month of February was $35.6 million, which was a drop of more than 47 percent from the January total.
Even though it appears as if February was a step back for the state of Illinois, this state has still seen massive growth over the past 12 months. The total sports betting handle increased by more than 33 percent year-over-year, and Illinois is still one of the biggest markets in the United States.
Basketball Leads the Way
The Super Bowl was obviously the biggest sporting event that took place in the month of February, but that was the only football game played. The lack of football hurt the overall numbers and it also allowed basketball to be the most popular sport to wager on.
The total betting handle for the sport of basketball was $289 million, and that was almost six times more than the next sport, which was football. Football posted a total betting handle of $50.6 million.
Parlay betting continues to be a top choice among bettors in Illinois and that handle came in at more than $146.4 million. Tennis, soccer, and hockey were the other three major sports that contributed the most handle for the month.
Read more about the 2022 projections for Illinois sports betting.
More Rule Changes in Illinois Sports Betting
The state of Illinois has seen a number of rule changes take place over the last 12 months, and a major one occurred in March. Remote registration was back in place for good, and that will allow bettors to sign up for an account without visiting a retail sportsbook.
Not only that but Illinois bettors were able to wager on in-state college teams for the first time in March. There was a catch to that rule though as all of the betting had to be done in-person.
The Illinois Gaming Board has also decided that all sporting events taking place in Russia must be removed from sporting books.
