The 10 commercial casinos in Illinois combined to bring in $109.1 million in revenue for October, a 2.7% increase over the $106.2 million recorded in September.
The October Illinois gambling figure also holds up favorably in a year-over-year comparison. The state’s casino revenue in October 2020 was $79.1 million; the coronavirus crisis that hit casinos all over the country affected those numbers from 12 months earlier.
CHECK OUT: Key Takeaways from Illinois September Sports Betting Report
The exact October figure, $109,127,634, breaks down to $80,677,369 from electronic gaming devices (EGDs) and $28,450,265 from table games, according to Illinois Gaming Board figures.
For the year so far, Illinois casinos have made $973.5 million in revenue.
Breakdown of Illinois Casino Revenue
The Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, near O’Hare Airport, led the state in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) at $44 million, about 40% of the state total. Rivers made nearly $26.6 million from EGDs and $17.4 million from table games.
Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin was next in AGR at $12.8 million, followed by Harrah’s Joliet at $12 million.
The remaining Illinois casinos, in order of October revenue, were: Hollywood Casino Aurora ($8.83 million), Hollywood Casino Joliet ($7.69 million), DraftKings at Casino Queen ($6.24 million), Harrah’s Metropolis ($5.37 million), Par-A-Dice ($5.36 million), Bally’s Quad Cities ($4.14 million) and Argosy Alton ($2.64 million).
The state share of taxes was $29.1 million and the local share added up to $6.2 million.
Chicago Casino Proposals Submitted
This month, four gaming operators submitted bids to develop a casino and resort in Chicago, making a total of five sites because Bally’s Illinois submitted proposals covering two different sites. The other bidders are Rivers Chicago at McCormick, Rivers 78 Gaming and HR Chicago.
A 2019 gaming law permits one casino license in the city of Chicago. There are also two bidders remaining for a proposed casino in the southern suburbs of The Windy City.
The city council and Mayor Lori Lightfoot must approve of the casino-resort bid, and the winner is scheduled to be announced in 2022.
