Midwest Sports Bettor Embrace Chance to Wager on NFL Games

After a slow start to the sports betting year due to Coronavirus lockdowns, it looks like sports bettors in the midwest are thrilled with the opportunity to bet on NFL games.

Three states (Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa) reported sports betting handle for August and September, and the numbers are off the charts. While most of the betting action was focused on the NFL, it's worth noting that the NBA, NHL, and MLB baseball all had playoffs running during this same time.

Illinois Numbers

During August, Illinois sports bettor had access to seven retail bookmakers and three online bookmakers. With increased access over what was available in July, bettors placed a whopping $139.8 million in wagers during August. That was 270% higher than the gross betting handle of $51,4 million that was reported in July.

It's with noting the Betrivers was the only Illinois bookmaker to be in operation for the entire month. They accounted for more than #114 of the total handle for the month. With both DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook now up and running, expectations for the rest of the year are high. Online wagering accounted for 4.1% of all Illinois sports betting handle.

Indiana Numbers

In Indiana, the numbers are in for September. Again, state bookmakers recorded record numbers for monthly handle and revenue.

With the NFL running for a good portion of the month, Indiana sportsbooks combined for $207 million in September handle. That number was up significantly from the $169 million recorded in August and the $187 million recorded in February before the lockdowns.

The bookmaking partnership of Ameristar, DraftKings, and theScore accounted for $95 million of the total state handle with 95% of that coming from online operations. Note: Only 4% of the handle was recorded through mobile apps, which was actually a little disappointing.

Iowa Numbers

Like most other states, Iowa also experienced a huge surge in sports betting handle. With the NFL finally getting underway, residents reacted in a big way by wagering more than $72 million in September with a good portion of that handle coming from wagers on NFL and college football games. In contrast to the disappointing numbers reported in Indiana, 69% of the wagering dollar in Iowa came via betting apps.

It comes as no surprise that William Hill was the state's top bookmaker, recording $18.3 million in handle with $16.97 million of that number coming from online operations.