Make room in the billion-dollar sports wagering handle club for Illinois.
Illinois Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter announced Thursday during the agency’s meeting that October’s traditional handle was just short of $1.03 billion, making Illinois the first Midwestern state to reach the milestone figure and fourth overall along with New Jersey, Nevada, and New York.
The completed events handle was actually higher at slightly more than $1.04 billion, as multiple Major League Baseball futures were settled, most notably yes/no playoff options as well as division and league winners. The previous record for handle in Illinois was $971.3 million in March, aided by the NCAA Tournament and by BetMGM launching operations as the state’s seventh and still most recent mobile wagering option.
The traditional total was the 18th-highest total for any state in the post-PASPA era and the 20th monthly revenue report with $1 billion handle. It was also 22.5% higher than the $840.4 million in accepted wagers in Illinois in October 2021.