The Illinois Gaming Control Board announced its sports betting figures for Jan. 2025, with sportsbook operators seemingly up compared to the previous year. Online wagers totaled $1.4 billion in January, a 14.6% year-over-year rise from $1.2 billion.
Illinois sports are divided into Tier 1 and Tier 2 categories, with professional sports yielding the highest January handle and revenue. Total handle, made up of retail and online sportsbooks for Tier 1 professional sports, was $436 million, a decline from Jan. 2024, which reported a $527.7 million handle. Total revenue didn’t fare any better, declining from $16.8 million to $15.3 million year-over-year.
Yet, Tier 2 professional sports reported a handle and revenue rise, with its handle increasing from $530.2 million to $778.3 million and revenue rising from $14.2 million to $17.9 million year-over-year.
College sports were also popular among Prairie State bettors, despite its Tier 1 sports reporting declines in handle and revenue for the month. Tier 1 handle decreased from $137.2 million to $113.6 million, while year-over-year income dropped from $1.6 million to $1.5 million.
Tier 2 college sports didn’t have the same luck as its Tier 1 counterpart. Its handle rose from $91 million to $139.8 million year-over-year, while year-over-year revenue increased from $942,220 to $1.6 million.
Operator revenues
DraftKings retains its lead out of Illinois’ popular sportsbooks, yielding the highest handle combined with Tier 1 and 2 professional and college sports. The online operator reported a $506.6 million handle in January and $13.2 million in revenue, yet not the highest.
FanDuel generated the highest revenue in January, at $16.5 million. This comprised $869,514 for Tier 1 and 2 college sports and $15.1 million for professional sports. FanDuel also reported the second-highest January handle, $478.1 million.
Following in revenue order, BetMGM produced a total of $1.6 million, closely followed by Fanatics Sportsbook at $1.5 million, then BetRivers at $1.2 million, and Caesars last with $775,487.
| Operator | January Handle | Revenue |
| DraftKings | $506.6 million | $13.2 million |
| FanDuel | $478.1 million | $16.5 million |
| Fanatics Sportsbook | $117.5 million | $1.5 million |
| BetRivers | $87.8 million | $1.2 million |
| BetMGM | $75.8 million | $1.6 million |
| Caesars | $62.8 million | $775,487 |
Illinois sportsbooks down month-over-month
Despite handle and revenue figures rising in January compared to the previous year, month-over-month figures showed revenue and handle down for Illinois operators.
DraftKings' handle declined from $508.2 million in Dec. 2024, while revenue decreased from $32.9 million. FanDuel reported its handle dropping from $500 million month-over-month, and income fell from $41.7 million.
Five of six sportsbook operators reported declines, while BetMGM was the only one to report a handle rise. BetMGM’s haul rose from $74.7 million in Dec. 2024 to $75.8 million in Jan. 2025, while profit fell from $8 million to $1.6 million month-over-month.
