Altruda Analyzes: Illinois Sports Betting Revenue - April 2026

Chris Altruda breaks down Illinois sports betting handle, revenue, and tax implications.

The Illinois Gaming Board reported $129 million in adjusted gross sports betting revenue for April on Monday as operators notched their best hold of the year at 10.7%.

Taxable winnings were up 19.3% from last April despite a 6.2% downturn in handle to $1.21 billion. The lofty win rate was the highest for Illinois sportsbooks since an 11.1% mark to close out 2025.

The state reaped $56.4 million in total taxes, with $45.5 million coming from operator revenue and $10.9 million from the per-wager surcharge. FanDuel and DraftKings have long been paying $0.50 per accepted wager after having crossed the 20 million threshold earlier in the fiscal year, while the state’s other eight mobile books are remitting $0.25 per bet.

That surcharge, which was originally estimated to generate $40 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year in Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget passed last year, is on track to nearly triple that amount. It has currently provided $105.4 million to state coffers with two months remaining in FY 2025-26.

The $506.8 million in total state taxes this fiscal year is up $163.4 million compared to last year, with tax receipts generated solely from operator revenue up close to $58 million versus the same span last year.

The Tax That Keeps on Giving (and Taking from FanDuel and DraftKings)

Though there is a chance the per-wager surcharge could be repealed in the state legislature’s late fall veto session, it stands to reason it would be harder to retract the longer it is in place given how much it has outperformed relative to the budget estimate.