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In terms of Illinois sports betting news, things have been quite positive for a while now. This was expected, with so many professional teams across the state. The early summer saw a bit of a dip in terms of revenue and handle, but that down streak didn’t last long. That’s because Illinois sports betting has been red hot in recent months, which is no surprise. The end of the summer was outstanding and August/September has been great too.
According to a report, more than $676 million was recorded for August, which marked a 16 percent increase from the year before. While the official numbers haven’t been released for September yet, the expectation per analysts is that more than August will be recorded. This makes sense, as the return of college football and the National Football League was major for the state.
With NFL betting in particular, people in Illinois are always going to pay a lot of attention to the Chicago Bears. Unfortunately for supporters of the NFC North side, star quarterback Justin Fields has missed the last few games due to an injury and it’s unknown when he’ll be able to get back on the field. With Fields injured, the offense wasn’t able to do much of anything on Sunday night against the Chargers.
Despite that, people continue to bet weekly on the Bears and the NFL as a whole. The Chiefs, who entered the week with the top Super Bowl betting odds, suffered a stunning loss against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. With this, you’ve got to assume that the Illinois sportsbooks are going to cash in big time on that result. All in all, betting during the past few months has been wild and even better numbers should be on the way soon too.
Bears fall to Chargers in Los Angeles
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 30, 2023
College football betting is high despite the ban on local teams
The great news for lawmakers and officials is that college football is betting high despite the ban on local teams. In case you didn’t know, the government has a ban in terms of sports betting on college programs and athletes in Illinois. That means that people in the state can place college football or baseball bets on the University of Illinois, Northwestern, Illinois State and other schools.
This is something that people have wanted to be changed for a while, as folks want the chance to be able to put money down on their favorite teams. With Illinois, the Fighting Illini are a basketball powerhouse and they’re always ready to make a ton of noise once the college hoops season rolls around. When it comes to March Madness betting, people in the state would love nothing more than to bet on the Fighting Illini.
Next road test. #Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/K0wTNmd9Ih
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) October 30, 2023
However, with the laws that are in place, that’s not an option for fans. Right now, though, college football is in full swing and while the local colleges are in action each week, people are putting down wagers on different teams. In terms of NCAAF betting odds, the Georgia Bulldogs remain the No. 1 team in the country and they have a great chance of winning the National Championship Game again.
Should the Bulldogs win it all, that would result in them posting a three-peat, which feels unheard of. However, people in Illinois are keeping a close eye on other teams too, including Michigan, Ohio State, Washington and more. In terms of the ban on local colleges, the hope is that things will be changed sooner rather than later, but it’s unknown when the switch will be made. Once it happens, it will result in a boom for sports betting, no doubt.
In-person sportsbooks are seeing great numbers this fall
In some exciting news for officials too, in-person sportsbooks are seeing great numbers this fall, which is fantastic news. We have seen some new sportsbooks open up as casinos across the state, which is resulting in people making their way to those locations. Yes, online betting is always going to be king in Illinois and the numbers are going to back that up from start to finish during the year.
No one can argue that online betting is quite convenient, as people love the ability to place bets from their own homes, or even on the go. However, local tourism is seeing great results from casinos bringing in sportsbooks. It’s a fun adventure for people to be able to get together with their friends at an in-person sportsbook, have some good food and then put money down on a sports team they’re following.
As things stand, there are no in-person sportsbooks in downtown Chicago, with options not too far outside of the city. Soon enough, though, the expectation is that a big-time casino will make its way right into the heart of Chicago, which would provide an economic boom. Not only that, but the expectation is that a sportsbook will follow suit, which will be massive for people because of all the pro teams in the Windy City. Soon enough, we’ll find out when that will be happening.
