May became the fourth month in 2026 to see a year-over-year sports betting handle decrease.
Key Takeaways
- Illinoisans placed 21% fewer bets compared to May 2025.
- The Prairie State has still produced nine consecutive $1-billion monthly handles.
- Adjusted revenue was led by FanDuel and its 14.5% hold.
The Illinois Gaming Board reported on Tuesday that online and retail sportsbooks generated $1.14 billion in wagers during May, down 10.2% from the same month in 2025. That’s the largest year-over-year drop-off operators have experienced this year.
The number of Illinois sports betting wagers was down 21% compared to the previous May, which was at least an improvement over April, when 25% fewer bets were placed. The NBA and NHL playoffs, along with MLB, drove betting activity during the month.
Despite the downward trend, Illinois has produced a $1-billion handle in nine consecutive months and remains the nation's No. 2 sports betting market by handle.
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Revenue falls slightly
May profits, however, suffered very little. A solid 10.4% hold helped Illinois sportsbooks report adjusted revenue of $118.9 million, a slight 1.7% decrease from the same month in 2025.
Operators haven’t won back under $100 million in Illinois revenue in a single month since July 2025. The latest win rate was up by nearly an entire point from the previous May.
Sports betting generated $52.5 million in tax revenue for the state, up from May 2025’s $45.2 million; the progressive tax system produced that much alone. Illinois’ per-wager tax led to another $10.4 million. Cook County received $1.3 million in tax revenue from the $66.7 million that operators made from bettors in the Chicago area.
FanDuel wins big
| Online Operator | May Handle | Adjusted Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | $416.2 million | $37.8 million |
| FanDuel | $306.2 million | $44.5 million |
| Fanatics Sportsbook | $110.1 million | $9.7 million |
| BetMGM | $80.5 million | $5 million |
| bet365 | $52.5 million | $5.6 million |
| BetRivers | $52.3 million | $5.7 million |
DraftKings continued to generate the most dollars wagered in the Prairie State, with a $416.2-million handle, but FanDuel produced a massive 14.5% hold to lead all online operators with adjusted revenue of $44.5 million on a $306.2-million handle. Those two operators combined to pay out $9 million of the total per-wager tax.
Fanatics held onto 8.8% of a $110.1-million handle, producing the same amount of adjusted revenue in May as it did in April. BetMGM generated just a 6.2% hold on an $80.5-million handle, while bet365 edged out BetRivers for a spot in the handle top 10.
However, BetRivers' 10.9% hold was just slightly ahead of bet365’s 10.7%.
