Illinois sportsbooks took in approximately $46m of Super Bowl wagers according to figures released by the state’s Gaming Board on Monday.
Online sports betting accounted for $42.8m of wagers while brick-and-mortar generated another $2.9m. Adjusted gross revenue was nearly $7.7m for the state’s eight sportsbooks. Illinois collected about $1.1m in taxes from the Big Game.
Sportsbooks in Illinois, like the rest of the country, benefited from a surprising upset by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who beat the 3-point favorite Kansas City Chiefs 31-9.
The rise in online sports wagers for Super Bowl Sunday reflects the state’s temporary waiver of in-person sportsbook registration. This allows customers to sign up for online and mobile sports betting platforms from anywhere in the state.
DraftKings, who partners with East St. Louis-based Casino Queen, benefits the most from mobile registration. Approximately 9.5m of Illinois’ 12.7m people live in the Chicago area, which is a five-hour drive from East St. Louis.
Super Bowl wagers will substantially lift Illinois sports betting handle for the months of January and February.
It’s too early to know how January handle might match up with the prior month, as Illinois is the only state to not have reported December sports betting handle. The Lincoln State produced $449m in November sports wagers.
DraftKings accounted for $166m of November handle, followed by BetRivers Sportsbook at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines with $133m.
The Illinois Gaming Board did not release operator-by-operator figures for the Super Bowl but if history is any indication DraftKings and BetRivers were likely at the top.
