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Whenever people bring up the latest Illinois sports betting news, you better believe that positive updates will be on the way. Illinois has consistently been putting up some of the best numbers in the United States, with things staying hot over the summer. Leading up to the NFL season, too, the handle was quite impressive. With that said, Illinois sports betting continues to rise and make history, which is nothing short of awesome too.
While we’re still waiting for the official numbers for September and October, the August stats were delivered earlier this month – they were nothing short of incredible. According to a report, Illinois posted $676.6 million for its sports betting handle for August. Not only that, but with such an incredible number being recorded, that has brought the total sports betting handle for the state to more than $25 billion.
That’s a historic figure for Illinois and it’s one that no question has lawmakers and officials quite happy. When legal wagers were launched in the state, you just had a feeling that things would be tremendous, as Illinois has some powerhouse professional teams. While betting on local college programs (more on that below) isn’t legal yet, people are always checking out the NFL betting odds, NBA betting odds, MLB betting odds, NHL betting odds and more.
As we mentioned, the numbers for the past two months are still to come in, but with the return of the NFL in early September, the belief is that the handles are set to be sky-high. Illinois has surpassed all of the expectations they have for sports betting and it feels like the state is only getting started. More casinos are starting to introduce sportsbooks, which have been needed for quite some time as well.
FINAL August Top 10 #SportsBetting handles by state:
1 New York $1.12B
2 New Jersey $725.8M
3 Illinois $676.1M
4 Nevada $431M
5 Pennsylvania $393M
6 Ohio $379.5M
7 ARIZONA $358.9M
8 Virginia $319M
9 Massachusetts $314.9M
10 Maryland $263.7M#GamblingTwitter— Chris Altruda (@AlTruda73) October 13, 2023
When will sports betting on local colleges arrive in Illinois?
One thing people continue to focus on is when will sports betting on local colleges arrive in Illinois? The hope was that people would be able to place wagers on the in-state programs this season for the football and basketball campaigns, but the state voted against that. As things stand, the ban on this kind of betting is in place until July 1, 2024. There was a unanimous 54-0 vote by lawmakers to delay this from moving forward.
Come this upcoming summer, though, the hope is that everyone will be able to get on the same page and allow for in-state betting for the college teams. Once March rolls around, there’s no question that March Madness betting will have been through the roof for the squads who will be in action. The University of Illinois is a Big Ten powerhouse and its football team is fun to watch too.
Tommy DeVito is nominated for ROTW!
Vote: https://t.co/4Qqd5LtosE pic.twitter.com/8qY3E8SB8H
— New York Giants (@Giants) November 21, 2023
Former Illinois quarterback Tommy DeVito is now the starter for the New York Giants, with alumni and fans following him closely. Last weekend, DeVito, in stunning fashion, was able to throw for 243 yards and three touchdowns in an upset win over the Washington Commanders. This is something countless people in Illinois loved to see, as they’ll always root for their former signal-caller.
With that said, those same fans would enjoy betting on the Fighting Illini on Saturdays when the football team is in action too. It’s up in the air if things will be given the green light next July, or if this type of betting will be pushed back for another year. The Illinois sports betting handle hasn’t suffered because of the delay, but things would 100 percent be a lot higher if folks were allowed to place the college bets they want to. We can only hope this gets done soon.
Bears and NFL betting are flourishing in Illinois
While we wait for news on college wagers, one major positive for the state is that Bears and NFL betting are flourishing in Illinois. Despite it being an inconsistent season for Chicago, Bears fans have been checking the NFL betting odds quite a bit this season to put money down on Justin Fields, D’Onta Foreman and others. This past weekend, a lot of money went down on the showdown with the Detroit Lions.
Unfortunately for the fanbase, the Lions were able to record a thrilling comeback win against the Bears. Despite that, Fields looked sharp at times and people are feeling confident in what this team might be able to get done the rest of the way during the 2023 season. There’s a lot of young talent on this team, so the coming weeks should be fun to watch.
Despite Chicago struggling, that hasn’t impacted football betting. As we inch closer to the postseason, you already know that Super Bowl betting is going to be a major topic of conversation in the state. Both the Eagles and Chiefs are expected to make a ton of noise, but the Baltimore Ravens actually hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC with their 8-3 record. Philly is No. 1 in the NFC. Once the playoffs arrive, we have a feeling the sports betting handle will keep on climbing for Illinois, which is fantastic.
