Despite nationwide record wagered on Super Bowl LX, IL sports betting appears to be trending down
In Illinois, the state imposes a $0.25 to $0.50 fee on each online wager.
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Super Bowl LX was not just a big win for the Seattle Seahawks, but also for sportsbooks.
The American Gaming Association estimates Americans legally wagered a record $1.76 billion on the big game.
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But a new report from the Illinois Gaming Board suggests sports betting trends in Illinois are moving in the opposite direction.
Sportsbooks were betting big on celebrities for their Super Bowl spots, targeting a sports hungry audience with promotions, as the popularity of legal sports betting grows nationally.
"We were overwhelmed. It was a lot. I feel like most of the advertisements were either AI or sports betting," sports bettor Antoine Smith said.
The projected $1.76 billion bet on Super Bowl LX represents a nearly 27% year-over-year increase, according to the American Gaming Association.
While specific numbers for Super Bowl wagers in Illinois aren't available, according to the Sports Betting Alliance, the state is seeing a decline on the number of bets placed since enacting a per-bet tax last July.
"The state of Illinois is showing three consecutive months of 15% declines in the amount of bets. That's very, very telling, and it is something that is not happening anywhere else in the country that has online sports wagering," Sports Betting Alliance President Joe Maloney said.
In Illinois, the state imposes a $0.25 to $0.50 fee on each online wager. The fee contributed to major platforms, including DraftKings and FanDuel, to add $0.50 surcharges for bets placed online in Illinois.
"It's no different than choosing which drugstore to conduct your business, which casual fast food chain to conduct your business, or which grocery store to go to. When you have choice on a marketplace, you're going to go where there is the best pricing," Maloney said.
Sports Betting Alliance represents several major sportsbooks.
Maloney says, no matter the taxed amount, it's still a distinction that could turn bettors back to illegal markets and cause people in border communities to take their money across state lines.
"I bet less than I used to because of this. With it being more about volume, or the tax on the volume of betting, as opposed to winning, it's definitely made me slow down a little bit more," Smith said.
Gov. JB Pritzker's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decline.
