World Cup Boosts July Sports Betting Revenue in Illinois

Bettors in the Pararie State had a busy July.

The Illinois Gaming Board has released its July sports betting revenue reports, showing a massive boost from the 2026 World Cup. The Illinois sports betting market saw a handle of $1.05 billion, up about 22% from July 2025. This marks the twelfth consecutive month the state has seen over $1 billion in wagers.

The World Cup drove the spike, with more than $153 million in wagers that month. This trailed only baseball as the most popular sport in July, thanks to the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs both playing well.

DraftKings Sportsbook led all online sportsbooks with $42.5 million in AGR for the month. Rival FanDuel Sportsbook followed with $37 million. No other operator saw over $10 million, showing the duo's stranglehold on the market continues. 

As a result, Illinois saw $30.8 million in tax revenue. This includes $24.2 million from the state’s progressive tax rate and $5.3 million from its per-wager tax. While that is up by over $6 million annually, it represents the lowest monthly total the state has seen in 2026.

Market Remains Strong, Despite Taxes

While Illinois doesn’t have the nation’s highest tax rate, it is one of the most expensive places for sportsbooks to operate. 

In 2024, the state implemented a new progressive tax rate based on a sportsbook's revenue. This represented a significant hike for the state’s top sportsbooks, but the state wasn’t done yet. 

In July 2025, it implemented a controversial per-wager tax. This led sportsbooks to offset the costs, including raising bet minimums and adding their own per-wager fees. The industry warned this would significantly damage Illinois’s thriving sports betting market, but lawmakers held firm.

Over one year later, those dire predictions have yet to come true. While the handle has decreased, tax revenue has remained strong. Sportsbooks also continue to see impressive AGR, which has prevented further action in Illinois. 

Some states have already discussed adopting a similar tax system to Illinois. While those efforts have failed, Illinois' success could lead to even more proposals in 2027.