BetRivers recorded $117.7m (84.2%) of Illinois’ sports betting handle of $139.8m during August.
That dominance is set to be challenged by DraftKings and FanDuel as they ramp up their marketing activities following their launches in the state during that month.
BetRivers benefited from Illinois Governor’s JB Pritzker’s decision to disable remote registration in July, before extending it at the end of August until the end of this week.
A decision on whether to extend the feature is expected imminently.
DraftKings, FanDuel and the other sports-betting brands that have launched in the state will be hoping Pritzker allows remote registration into the coming months.
More competition
With the two leading sports betting brands in the US launching during August, the figures for September should vary quite significantly and be spread across more operators as they embark on heavy marketing drives.
Following on from the DraftKings and FanDuel entries in August betting brands PointsBet and William Hill also launched in September.
Illinois’ August handle of $139.8m was a marked rise on July’s $52.5m. Gross win came in at $7.2m, which represented a 5.2% hold.
BetRivers recorded nearly $118m of that total, with the remaining $21m handle split between DraftKings and FanDuel’s online and mobile apps and the four retail-only sportsbooks in the state.
Many industry observers believe Pritzker’s decision to discontinue remote registration in July gave the Rush Street Interactive-powered sportsbook a major advantage.
BetRivers was first-to-market launching its mobile betting app in Illinois in June and had the run of the market throughout August.
DraftKings took $14m and FanDuel $4.2m in sports betting handle during the month.
