A World Cup-led July drove a significant year-over-year handle increase and big revenue for Illinois sports betting operators.
- Illinois sports betting grew by nearly 22% compared to the previous July.
- Operators battled back after bettors kept the June hold at 8%.
- The per-wager tax has generated at least $5 million extra in each of the past 12 months.
The Illinois Gaming Board reported that online and retail sportsbooks generated $1.05 billion in wagers during the month, a 21.7% spike from July 2025 and the 12th consecutive billion-dollar handle.
Between the U.S. team reaching the round of 16 and big names like England, France, Argentina, and eventual champion Spain going deep in the North American-held soccer event, there were plenty of 3-way moneyline losses from bettors, leading to an 11.1% hold for operators.
Sportsbooks claimed $116.5 million in adjusted gross revenue during July, a 30% year-over-year increase. This was a significant Illinois revenue improvement from June, when a busy month of the World Cup and NBA and NHL finals went the way of bettors, who produced the lowest operator win rate of 2026.
Bets placed rises
July marked the first anniversary of Illinois’ per-wager tax, which has generated at least $5 million each month in additional state revenue. Operators contributed $5.4 million from the state-levied 25- and 50-cent surcharges in the latest reported month.
There were over 21 million bets placed in July, a 13.2% year-over-year increase, likely because of extra wagering from the World Cup. DraftKings accounted for nearly $2.4 million of the total per-wager tax payout, with FanDuel contributing $1.7 million.
The Prairie State hauled in a total of $29.6 million in total tax revenue, with Cook County taking home $1.17 million.
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Revenue up
| Online Operator | July Handle | Adjusted Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| DraftKings | $382.7 million | $42.5 million |
| FanDuel | $286.1 million | $36.9 million |
| Fanatics Sportsbook | $89.1 million | $7.9 million |
| BetMGM | $67.7 million | $6.4 million |
| bet365 | $61.3 million | $6.7 million |
| BetRivers | $40.9 million | $5.1 million |
Mobile wagering accounted for all but $13.8 million of the entire handle, while all six of the top Illinois online sports betting operators experienced year-over-year revenue growth.
DraftKings led all mobile sportsbooks with $42.5 million in adjusted gross revenue on over $382 million in wagers, producing the month’s state-average hold. FanDuel, however, won back nearly 13% of a $286.1 million handle, leading to a major reason why the overall hold reached 11%.
Fanatics generated a healthy $7.9 million in revenue, but the online operator did produce a hold under 9%. BetMGM won back 9.4% of a $61.3 million handle, while BetRivers helped push up the average hold with a 10.9% win rate on nearly $41 million in wagers.
