Illinois sports betting operators enjoyed an 18.1% year-over-year adjusted revenue increase in April.
Key takeaways
- The Illinois Gaming Board reported operators made over $100 million a month for the third time this year.
- The $1.28 billion handle during a high-volume month was up 16.4% compared to the previous April.
- More changes are coming to Illinois’ sports betting and tax landscape.
The Illinois Gaming Board reported online and retail sportsbooks hauled in $108.6 million, marking the third time profits soared above $100 million in 2025.
The revenue uptick came off a $1.28 billion handle, a 16.4% increase from April 2024’s $1.1 billion. A month with the end of the NCAA tournament and the start of the NBA and NHL Playoffs helped the Land of Lincoln generate its eighth consecutive $1 billion handle, dating back to last September.
April’s 8.5% hold was up slightly from the the previous year's 8.2% win rate and ranks third in 2025.
The Prairie State filled its coffers with $38.7 million as both FanDuel and DraftKings reached the 40% tax tier, paying out a combined $30 million. Illinois hauled in over $173 million in year-to-date tax revenue.
Monthly improvement
April produced improved month-over-month profits as well for sportsbooks. Revenue increased 13.7% from a March that was bettor-friendly because of a lack of NCAA tournament upsets.
April's handle was down 13.5% month-over-month, with the majority of March Madness wrapped up, consistent with the trend in years’ past. However, hold was up 2 points from March, the second-worst win rate over the past 17 months.
Online Illinois sports betting generated $1.25 billion in wagers and $106.7 million in adjusted income.
FanDuel leads them all
| Online Operator | April Handle | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| FanDuel | $417 million | $40.8 million |
| DraftKings | $414.1 million | $32.4 million |
| Fanatics Sportsbook | $115.1 million | $8.8 million |
| BetMGM | $70.8 million | $4.7 million |
| BetRivers | $62.2 million | $4.6 million |
| bet365 | $56.1 million | $4.4 million |
FanDuel led all operators with a $417 million April handle, down from the previous month’s $499 million. An 18.7% hold on parlays and an overall 9.8% win rate led to more than $40 million in adjusted revenue, nearly $10 million more than March.
DraftKings was the only other online sportsbook to surpass $400 million in handle and $30 million in income, nearly identical to the previous month. Fanatics Sportsbook finished third with over $115 million in bets and $8.8 million in profit.
BetMGM generated a $70.8 million handle, while BetRivers rounded out the top five with $62.2 million in wagers. In its first full month, bet365 accepted $56.1 million in bets, Illinois' sixth-highest and more than Caesars, ESPN BET, and Circa Sports.
Upping the ante
The sports betting and tax landscape continues to undergo major changes. A year after introducing a progressive tax system, the Illinois legislature recently approved a budget that includes adding a per-bet tax to online books.
Operators will be charged 25 cents on the first 20 million bets and then 50 cents thereafter. Following Gov. JB Pritzker's state budget approval, the new rate is set to go into effect on July 1.
In response, FanDuel and DraftKings announced they'll implement a 50-cent transaction fee on all bets starting Sept. 1 to help pay for the new surcharge.
