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Fresh off a May in which Bally’s Chicago posted its highest revenue total, Illinois casinos struggled to keep pace, seeing their combined revenue drop 3.9% month-on-month, according to the latest data from the Illinois Gaming Board.
The state’s 15 casinos generated $138.3 million in June revenue, down from $143.8 million in the previous month. However, revenue was up more than 10% year-on-year.
Key takeaways
- If lawmakers legalize Illinois online casinos, it could be the biggest iGaming market in the country.
- Illinois casino revenue dropped around $5.5 million from May to June.
- Ten out of the state’s 15 casinos saw monthly revenue decline.
- Year-on-year revenue numbers were up around $3 million.
Online casinos could make Illinois the top gaming state in the country
Online casinos are not legal in Illinois. However, the state is a prime candidate for iGaming because of its booming online sports betting market.
States with online sports betting are in a better position to legalize online casinos if for no other reason than lawmakers in those states are more comfortable with online gaming.
PlayUSA projects that Illinois online casinos could generate more than $150 million, based on revenue totals from the seven states with active online casino markets.
| State | June online casino revenue | Population (according to 2023 Census Bureau data) | Per-capita revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | $216.5 million | 13 million | $16.65 |
| Michigan | $198.6 million | 10 million | $19.86 |
| New Jersey | $192.1 million | 9.3 million | $20.65 |
| Connecticut | $46.3 million | 3.6 million | $12.86 |
| West Virginia | $17.9 million | 1.8 million | $9.94 |
| Delaware | $3.9 million | 1 million | $3.90 |
| Rhode Island | $2.3 million | 1.1 million | $2.09 |
| Average | $79.8 million | 6.5 million | $12.27 |
| Illinois (projected) | $153.4 million | 12.5 million | $12.27 |
While $153.4 million is nothing to laugh at, it’s possible that Illinois’ online casino revenue could be considerably higher. A state’s iGaming revenue totals tend to follow its population: the more people, the higher the per-capita revenue.
Illinois’ estimated online casino revenue jumps to $225.6 million if we build a projection of Illinois online casino revenue based on the two iGaming states with at least 10 million people (Pennsylvania and Michigan). Illinois would become the nation’s top online casino market if it legalized iGaming.
Casinos struggle to match May’s numbers
Casinos had a hard time mirroring Illinois’ May 2024 gaming revenue. Ten of the state’s 15 properties saw revenue drop. DraftKings at Casino Queen and Bally’s Chicago saw the biggest declines at 17.9% and 11.4%, respectively.
Bally’s Chicago’s numbers were a slight disappointment after the casino broke its revenue record in May.
| Casino | June 2024 Revenue | May 2024 Revenue | Month-on-Month Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rivers Casino | $43,930,766.72 | $44,722,578.02 | -1.77% |
| Grand Victoria Casino | $11,512,412.96 | $12,125,988.05 | -5.06% |
| Bally's Chicago | $10,393,687.33 | $11,734,292.70 | -11.42% |
| Harrah's Joliet Casino & Hotel | $10,348,067.43 | $10,511,979.00 | -1.56% |
| The Temporary by American Place | $8,784,115.16 | $9,107,993.60 | -3.56% |
| Hollywood Casino Aurora | $8,035,582.18 | $8,592,298.54 | -6.48% |
| Hollywood Casino Joliet | $7,753,881.64 | $7,594,122.32 | 2.10% |
| DraftKings at Casino Queen | $7,098,297.07 | $8,648,588.67 | -17.93% |
| Hard Rock Casino Rockford | $6,085,964.04 | $6,619,708.93 | -8.06% |
| Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino | $5,510,078.02 | $5,561,966.94 | -0.93% |
| Bally's Quad Cities Casino & Hotel | $5,306,825.83 | $5,361,243.45 | -1.02% |
| Harrah's Metropolis Casino | $4,809,993.33 | $4,930,309.00 | -2.44% |
| Golden Nugget Danville | $3,171,477.50 | $2,822,303.41 | 12.37% |
| Argosy Casino Alton | $2,961,618.72 | $2,950,039.87 | 0.39% |
| Walkers Bluff Casino Resort | $2,577,958.8 | $2,539,221.43 | 1.53% |
| Total | $138,280,726.77 | $143,822,633.93 | -3.85% |
Yearly revenue numbers were up $16 million
Though casino revenue was down month-on-month in Illinois, yearly revenue was up more than $16 million. Casinos generated 13.1% more in win this past month than they did a year ago.
The main driver of the revenue rise was Bally’s Casino and Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort, which weren’t open in June 2023. That being said, revenue this past month was still around $3 million higher than in June 2023 when removing Bally’s and Walker’s Bluff from its revenue total.
