February marks the first month that Illinois toppled Pennsylvania for a spot among the top three regulated sports betting markets.
Illinois’ February handle was down 12% from the record $582m wagered in January. The drop in handle was expected, as January benefited from NFL playoffs wagers and three more days on the calendar. Illinois brought in $46m in February Super Bowl wagers.
Operator revenue for the month was $30.3m, down 39% from January.
Online wagers accounted for 96%, or $490m, of February handle, while retail sportsbooks brought in another $19.6m in bets. In January online wagers accounted for 99% of the month’s handle.
Online sports betting in Illinois could see a rapid slowdown in the coming months, however.
This past week Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker put an end to an executive order that allowed Lincoln State customers to register for accounts online. Instead they’ll have to return to in-person registration.
The in-person registration rule will likely affect DraftKings most significantly. Their Illinois partner, Casino Queen, is located in East St. Louis, on the other side of the state from Chicagoland.
In February DraftKings/Casino Queen led Illinois with handle of $200m. FanDuel/Par-A-Dice Casino was second with $159m of wagers, while BetRivers/Rivers Casino finished a distant third with handle of $96m.
