The Illinois casino figures continued a winning streak in June despite a decline from the figures posted the previous month.
In June, the 11 commercial casinos in Illinois combined for $110,675,080 in revenue. That was a 5.1% decline from the $116.57 million collected in May.
Of that June total for adjusted gross receipts (AGR), $82.59 million came from electronic gaming devices (EGDs) and $28.1 million derived from table games.
Still, June was the fourth consecutive month that the state’s casinos totaled more than $110 million in revenue.
Here are three takeaways for Illinois casino gaming in June.
Breakdown of Illinois Casino Revenue
The leading Illinois facility again was Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, with $46.23 million ($28.5 million from EGDs, $17.7 million at table games), according to figures reported by the Illinois Gaming Board. Rivers draws about triple the admissions of the next-biggest casino in the state each month, and that was the case again in June, with 236,992 admissions. And at 78,500 square feet, Rivers has about twice the gaming space of the next biggest Illinois casino.
The No. 2 casino in Illinois for the month was Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin with 70,586 admissions. Grand Victoria was also second in AGR at about $11.8 million, followed by Harrah’s Joliet Casino & Hotel with $11.14 million.
The state share of taxes came to $23.4 million last month and local taxes collected came to $6.28 million.
The peak month this year in Illinois was in April, with $122.5 million in revenue.
The numbers for Illinois sports betting have not been reported for May. Sports wagering numbers run about a month behind casino revenue reporting in the state.
There are no real money online casinos in Illinois.
First Payment on Downtown Chicago Casino Project
Much of the buzz on the Illinois gambling scene concerns a nascent casino project in Chicago.
Bally’s Corp. made a $40 million payment to the city in June just weeks after signing an agreement to codify the license for what will be the first casino in The Windy City.
The Bally’s project will cost $1.7 billion including the casino, plus entertainment space and a hotel. The site for the project is the 30-acre plot that once housed the Chicago Tribune.
A temporary casino is planned for the former site of the Medinah Temple while work continues on the permanent project, which is scheduled for completion in 2026.
The Chicago City Council approved the Bally’s bid for the casino in May, as the company beat out submissions by Rush Street Interactive and Hard Rock.
Another Project Planned South of Chicago
The downtown casino won’t be the only one planned for the Chicagoland area.
Plans are underway for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and Wind Creek Hospitality to build a casino in East Hazel Crest and Homewood, about 25 miles south of downtown.
The Wind Creek Chicago Southland project is earmarked for a 2023 opening. It is slated for a site off of Interstate 80. Wind Creek held a groundbreaking ceremony last month.
