The casino industry in Illinois shows no signs of slowing down, as it brought in revenue of $135.8 million in July, which is calculated by taking a look at the adjusted gross receipts. At the moment, the state has 15 land-based casinos, with online gambling still being illegal. The state’s revenue from casino games would be even higher if revenue from the best offshore casinos was also considered, as this is the only way for residents to gamble online for real money. The other alternatives are sweepstakes and social casinos, which use coins instead of real money for betting. Offshore sites are based outside the US, and therefore their gambling revenue and taxes generated aren’t included in state figures.

Still, that didn’t stop Illinois’ players from contributing to the state’s impressive and growing revenue from casino games. Compared to the same months of the previous year, when casinos generated $133.3 million, this July saw a 2% increase. The progress and growth of the casino industry in Illinois are slightly less evident, however, once you compare the current year’s revenue to the previous one. 

For example, the first seven months of 2024 have generated $956 million in revenue, compared to the $2.52 billion in total during 2023. If things continue at the same rate, the state will fall short of last year’s revenue in 2024.

Rivers Casino had the biggest impact on the industry’s revenue, with an AGR of $41.5 million in July. Even though the numbers put them in the leading spot in terms of Illinois’ gambling revenue, this number still shows a significant drop in the casino’s totals. This July brought in 12% less money than July 2023, which is in accordance with the casino’s dwindling year-over-year revenues.

Another casino that’s been experiencing decreased AGR is Grand Victoria, which takes the second spot with a total of $11.3 million earned. These numbers also signify a 10% drop in comparison to July 2023. 

Two other casinos that were very close in terms of earnings are Harrah’s Joliet and Bally’s Chicago, which brought in $10.9 million and $10.4 million, respectively. 

Overall, the revenue from Illinois’ casinos was slightly lower in July than it had been in June, when the figure was $138.3 million.

As far as the games go, it comes as no surprise that slots were a category of games that were of the biggest interest to players. Thus, their revenue totaled $105.2 million in July, which shows a significant increase in comparison to the same month in 2023, when slots generated $100.9 million. 

Table games, including blackjack and poker, took second place on the list of favorite casino games, as they managed to contribute $30.6 million to the state’s overall AGR. But unlike slot machines, table games did worse this July than the previous one, as they collected $32.3 million. 

There’s new hope on the horizon for Illinois’ casino industry, as two new venues are going to be opened up within the next few months. The first one is Hard Rock Casino Rockford, which has already been operating at an interim location. However, they will finally switch to a new, long-term place at the end of August, giving the state’s players something to be excited about. Later in the year, Wind Creek Southland Chicago is expected to join the ranks, with a new location that is expected to do wonders that will show up on end-of-the-year reports.