Illinois bettors pushed their state’s sportsbooks to new heights in October, with both handle and revenue setting new records. 

Figures released Thursday by the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) show the state’s eight licensed sportsbooks handled wagers worth $434.6m in October, 42.4% higher than September’s previous record. Revenue was up over six-fold from September to a record $42.2m, with the state’s share coming to $6.3m. 

Retail betting accounted for less than $25m of October’s handle, a share that will grow even smaller in November as casinos were forced into their second pandemic lockdown on November 19. All the more reason to celebrate Gov. J.B. Pritzker having once again extended the exemption for mobile bettors to register new accounts in person through January 9. 

Illinois betting has a new king, appropriately enough named DraftKings and its local Casino Queen partner, which together handled wagers worth $141.4m in October. That was more than enough to dethrone reigning monarch Rivers Casino Des Plaines/BetRivers ($115.5m), while the tandem of FanDuel and Boyd Gaming’s Par-A-Dice casino ranked third with $105.5m.