The Illinois Gaming Board has finally released the sports betting totals for the month of December in the state of Illinois, and it was another massive month for the industry. Even though Illinois was not able to set a new record or revenue total in December, Illinois continues to prove that it has what it takes to be one of the sports betting industries in the United States.
The total sports betting handle for the month of December in Illinois was $789.6 million, which marked a slight increase from the total that came in during November. Illinois sportsbooks posted a total sports betting handle of $779.8 million in November, and this shows that the state is still headed in the right direction.
This massive total sports betting handle for Illinois in December put the state at the number three spot for the month. Only New Jersey and Nevada had a total sports betting handle that was higher than what was recorded in the Land of Lincoln.
Sharp Drop in Revenue
Not only was the total sports betting handle up for the month of December, but online sports betting handle jumped from $745.9 to $752.8 million as well. All of the sportsbooks in Illinois were seeing more action in December, but that did not lead to a jump in revenue, which was disappointing.
The total sports betting revenue for the month was just $33.6 million after that total was all the way up to $79.3 million during the month of November. Sportsbooks in the state did not do as well on NFL betting during the final month of 2021, and that was reflected in the December 2021 totals.
Massive Year For the State
2021 was a massive year for sportsbooks in Illinois and the entire sports betting industry. The total sports betting handle for Illinois in 2021 was $7.02 billion in wagers, and a majority of that action came from online sportsbooks.
The total gross revenue for the year topped $534 million, which was an increase of more than $134 million from what was brought in during 2020. With a huge boost in the total revenue in 2021, the state was also able to bring in nearly $85 million in tax revenue.
Mobile Registration is Coming
Illinois continues to be just one of two states that has in-person registration in place, with Nevada being the other market. The fact that both states continue to have in-person registration in place has kept both states from really reaching their sports betting potential.
Remote registration is coming to Illinois, and the official launch date for this type of registration is set for early March. This is also when BetMGM is planning to launch its mobile betting sportsbook, and that will provide another huge boost to the state.
BetMGM has emerged as one of the top online sportsbooks in the United States, and it will add another terrific option in the state of Illinois. It’s unclear if it will be able to make a serious run at DraftKings and FanDuel, but the fact that sports bettors can create a new account online should provide a massive boost.
