Sports Betting Beat - July 7, 2021: Fifth Consecutive Month of More Than Half-Billion Dollars Bet in Illinois
The Illinois Gaming Board reported on Tuesday a sports betting handle of nearly $507.3 million for May, positioning the Land of Lincoln as the 2nd biggest market after New Jersey.
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That number represented a 5.6 percent drop from April. The month of May is typically a slow sports gambling month. It was the fifth straight month that more than a half-billion dollars was wagered on sporting events.
New Jersey and Illinois were the only two states to reach $500 million in monthly handle.
North Carolina
While North Carolina’s retail sports betting bill passed the state legislature with relative ease and bipartisan support, the same has not held true for companion bills that has languished for months in the House and Senate. The retail measure allows for sports betting in casinos outside the Harrah's Cherokee Resort.
If sports betting is legalized, North Carolina is projected to be the fourth-most lucrative market, trailing New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
Spectrum Gaming projected that within five years, North Carolina could generate $367 million from sports betting, $300 million from online gambling, and $2.2 billion from casinos.
Canada
Canadian provincial lottery corporations say they could launch single-game betting in time for football season, which could give them a head start on any competition as the country enters a new era of sports wagering.
New York
The New York State Gaming Commission has missed the deadline to release a solicitation seeking bidders to operate online sports betting in the state.
The measure was included in the state’s 2021-22 fiscal year, which lawmakers passed in April. That spending plan called for the commission to release a request for proposals document by July 1.
The delay is likely to be up to two weeks.
