The Illinois Gaming Board reported traditional sports wagering handle of slightly more than $1.07 billion for January on Tuesday, setting an all-time high while surpassing $1 billion for the fourth consecutive month.
The state’s previous record of $1.03 billion was established in October, with both November and December handle coming within $1.1 million of that amount. January’s figure was a 4% increase from December and 23.3% higher than the $867.5 million generated in January 2022.
Illinois’ January figures also resulted in a national monthly record for handle for the third straight month, rising to $10.9 billion with Arizona yet to report. It was also the first time operator gross revenue surpassed $1 billion in a month, with January’s current total of $1.02 billion easing past December’s short-lived standard of $955.7 million. The $187.3 million in state tax revenue generated to start the year is also a new record, topping the $174 million from November.
Adjusted gross revenue in Illinois totaled just over $96 million, the third-highest mark in Illinois history, as the hold settled just under 9%. Those top three monthly revenue totals have come in the last four months of wagering in the Land of Lincoln, which has cleared $1.5 billion in all-time adjusted gross revenue dating to its March 2020 launch. Illinois is also $275 million shy of surpassing $20 billion in all-time handle.