Illinois Sports Betting Handle Rises 9%, Profits Drop 26% In September

Cyrus Her
2026-04-27T23:59:15Z

Sports wagering was up 9% year-over-year in Illinois throughout September, however earnings in the very first complete month of football dropped off substantially.

- Illinois sports wagering operators produced the first billion-dollar handle because May.

- Revenue fell as gamblers kept [sportsbooks' parlay](http://www.visiontape.com/free/75) hold to 13%.

- The per-wager tax produced 37% of the state's total haul.

The [Illinois Gaming](https://gratisafhalen.be/author/krystal14m/) Board just recently reported that $1.42 billion was bet for the month, the very first deal with to reach a billion dollars in the [Prairie](https://pattondemos.com/employer/the-bet-9ja-promo-code-this-2026-is-yohaig/) State because May and the 6th to discuss $1.4 billion in the last 12 months.

However, revenue of $100.7 million was down 26.2% from the $137.1 million that online and retail sportsbooks took during September 2024. Nearly $99 countless the current revenues came from mobile wagers, which were down 15.2% from the previous year.

The 7.1% hold was the 2nd least expensive of 2025 in Illinois and down substantially from the 10.5% win rate in September 2024. Entering into September, the yearly typical hold was 9.7%, however that was lowered by customer-friendly outcomes early in the NFL season.

Adding up

Illinois sports betting operators paid out $28.7 million in taxes to the Prairie State, with $1.1 million going to Chicago-area Cook County.

The Land of Lincoln filled its coffers with $10.6 million from the state's new per-wager tax, which entered into effect in July and was likely the cause for the drop in the quantity of online bets positioned in September. The most recent reported month marked the first that all online operators levied their own additional charges or wagering minimums to offset their costs on the tax walking.

In September, DraftKings accepted more than 11.2 million bets, which totaled up to $4 million in taxes to the state. FanDuel paid out an even higher $4.5 million on nearly 11 million wagers. No other online sportsbook reached $600,000 in [regular monthly](https://www.dtfigures.co/index.php?route=journal3/blog/post&journal_blog_post_id=1) wager payouts. DraftKings and FanDuel integrated have actually filled the Prairie State's [coffers](https://www.pmelettrica.com/2015/03/04/the-growth-of-the-construction-industry/) with more than $16 million in per-wager taxes.

Parlay drop

Parlays played a significant role in the plunge. The 13% hang on September's multi-leg wagers was the very best for Illinois bettors since March.

FanDuel produced the most revenue in September, utilizing a 9.4% hang on a $417.9[-million handle](https://gratisafhalen.be/author/deonhamlin/) to nearly reach $40 million in revenues, with more than $25 million coming from parlays.

DraftKings had the highest manage with $507.9 million, however the [online operator](https://www.cristinacantone.com/understanding-how-users-make-digital/) turned just a 5.6% hold to make $28.7 million in revenue, thanks primarily to [wagerers lowering](https://www.pompombaby.co.uk/blog/journal-blog-is-here) their parlay hold in half compared to the last four months.

Fanatics Sportsbook was the only other online operator to create more than $100 million in wagers throughout September, but it only produced a 6% hold. BetMGM and bet365 were two of the few online sportsbooks that accomplished a win rate over 7%.

More taxes?

Now that the Prairie State's per-wager tax is settling in, Chicago is trying to participate the action. The city's mayor proposed a 10.25% [local betting](http://www.eksklusifproperty2.rumahlembang.com/agent/jeseniajoyner5/) tax in his 2026 budget plan, however Illinois legislators are hoping to suppress another walking effort.