(The Center Square) – In what is typically a slow month in the industry, Illinois sports bettors bucked the trend.
According to PlayIllinois.com, Illinois gamblers placed over $676 million worth of sports bets in August, beating August of 2022 by a wide margin.
“One-hundred million dollars more, which is almost 20%,” said PlayIllinois managing editor Jason Jarrett. “When we look at the numbers, this is going to be a trend that probably grows even more in the last four months of the year.”
Baseball was the number one sports bet on in August, with nearly $200 million wagered. With the NFL and college football getting underway in September, the betting numbers are expected to jump significantly.
As usual, the largest majority of Illinois bets in August were made online, with in-person bets accounting for only about $19 million of the monthly total.
Jarrett said the betting apps DraftKings and FanDuel continue to be neck and neck when it comes to market share in Illinois.
“Those two together own about 74% of the market share in Illinois,” Jarrett said.
According to a recent report from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, in the fiscal year that ended in June, revenue from sports betting jumped 55% from $610 million to $949 million, bringing in $142 million in tax revenue.
Much of the revenue from sports gambling goes towards funding Illinois’ capitol construction program.
The Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery has developed a website for help, support and advice about problem gambling.
