Players spent a total of $1.31 billion betting on sports during September, which marked the NFL season kick-off. This is 21.5% more than September 2023 and 49.2% ahead of August this year. However, it missed the all-time state record – $1.38 billion in November 2023 – by 4.7%.

Online spend for the month amounted to $1.27 billion, with retail handle coming to $34.9 million. The Board said professional sports drew the most bets at $1.12 billion, with college sports at $177.1 million, motor racing $753,685, and other sports $5.3 million.

Adjusted gross revenue (AGR) was 58.6% higher than September last year and also 130.4% above August this year. It narrowly surpassed the existing Illinois monthly record – $135.2 million in January this year – by 0.9%.

Figure from the Illinois Gaming Board show $132.6 million of total revenue came from online betting. The remaining $3.9 million was attributed to betting at retail sportsbooks across the state.

In terms of handle, the state-wide figure for September was 10.40%.

FanDuel retakes the lead from DraftKings as Fanatics climbs to third in Illinois

Turning to operators, FanDuel-owned Flutter was back on top in September, placing ahead of rival DraftKings. For the month, FanDuel, partnered with Fairmount Park in Illinois, turned $53.7 million in AGR from $404.4 million in bets for a 13.27% hold.

After leading the market in August, DraftKings had to settle for second this time. Revenue for the month topped $47.7 million and handle $501.5 million, which is significantly higher than FanDuel. Hold for DraftKings, which works with Casino Queen, hit 9.51%.

The operator blamed player-friendly NFL results for a major dip in hold early in Q4, meaning stakeholders will be analysing its October performance in Illinois – where it is also looking to mitigate this year’s tax hike – for evidence of that impact.

Fanatics and partner Hawthorne Race Course rounded off the top three in September. For the month, handle reached $99.3 million and revenue $10.6 million, a 10.67% hold.

This meant Rush Street Interactive’ BetRivers, partnered with Midwest Gaming & Entertainment, followed in fourth with $81.1 million wagered, and a 10.85% hold left revenue of $8.8 million.

ESPN Bet

Elsewhere, Caesars and Elgin Riverboat Resort reported revenue of $4.8 million from $54.8 million for an 8.76% hold.

How did new entrants ESPN Bet and Hard Rock fare in Illinois?

ESPN Bet and Hollywood Casino Aurora followed with $3.5 million off of $55.2 million, resulting in a 6.34% hold. This marked an improvement on the prior month but it remains some way behind the market leaders.

Hard Rock and 815 Entertainment was the only other partnership to exceed $1 million in monthly revenue. For September, it recorded $17.4 million in handle, with a 9.2% hold leaving revenue of $1.6 million. The offering only went live in August this year.

As for tax, Illinois collected a total of $37.3 million in tax from sports betting, a 168.3% year-on-year jump in the wake of Illinois’ new tax rules which came into effect from 1 July. This replaces the previous 15% flat adjusted gross revenue rate has been replaced by a sliding scale ranging from 20% to 40% of GGR, depending on handle.