Super Bowl LX helped Illinois sports betting operators generate a fifth consecutive $100-million month in adjusted revenue, but profits dipped nearly 15% compared to February 2025.
Key Takeaways
- Illinois’ $1.17-billion handle increased year over year by 1.5%.
- Online operators continued to see a downward trend in bets placed.
- FanDuel and DraftKings only paid out about $7 million combined on the per-wager tax.
The Illinois Gaming Board recently reported that the state’s 10 online sportsbooks and 13 retail operators hauled in $109.2 million in February from a $1.17-billion handle, which was up 1.5% year over year.
With the Seattle Seahawks-New England Patriots Super Bowl being the lone football game in February, the handle fell significantly from the $1.4 billion generated in January, but the amount wagered still surpassed $1 billion for the sixth consecutive month, which was also highlighted by Olympic betting.
However, the 9.3% hold fell nearly two points from February 2025 and stayed below 10% for the fifth time in the last six months.
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Trend continues
The Prairie State’s progressive tax system generated over $38 million in February, while the per-wager tax produced another $8.8 million from the 25-cent and 50-cent surcharge on operators.
FanDuel and DraftKings each paid out more than $3.5 million on the per-wager tax, which was down significantly from the previous month when it cost the two operators a combined $11.6 million. No other online sportsbook reached $400,000 for the monthly per-wager tax.
Illinois online sports betting operators accepted 25% fewer wagers than in February 2025, as the downward trend continues since the per-wager tax went into effect last year. Missouri’s sports betting launch could also be impacting Illinois’ wagering decrease.
Operator revenue
| Online Operator | February Handle | Adjusted Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | $417.9 million | $40 million |
| FanDuel | $314.3 million | $37.1 million |
| Fanatics Sportsbook | $108.1 million | $7.8 million |
| BetMGM | $67 million | $5.2 million |
| bet365 | $63.4 million | $5.2 million |
| BetRivers | $58.7 million | $5.4 million |
DraftKings and FanDuel each saw a $100-million decrease in monthly handle compared to January. DraftKings still led all online operators with a $417.9-million handle, while FanDuel nearly reached $315 million.
The two mobile sportsbooks accounted for $77 million of the $108 million in total online Illinois revenue. FanDuel’s 11.8% hold was higher than DraftKings’ 9.6%.
Fanatics, which changed retail partners from Hawthorne Race Course to Alton Casino in February, was the only other sportsbook to surpass $100 million in wagers. The online operator produced a 7.2% win rate.
BetMGM won back 7.8% on a $67-million handle, while bet365 supplanted BetRivers for fifth place in wagers with $63.4 million, keeping 8.2%. BetRivers produced a higher hold, winning $5.4 million on a $58.7-million handle.
