Illinois Casinos See Healthy Improvement In Revenue To Start 2023

Gambling enthusiasts in the Land of Lincoln likely anticipate the opening of a temporary casino in Chicago this summer. And they aren’t sitting idle in anticipation. Illinois casinos got off to a great start in 2023 judging by their revenue numbers.

The 11 gaming facilities reported over $112.6 million in win from slots and table games for January 2023. That’s a significant improvement from the same month in 2022. And it sets the stage for a fantastic 2023 for the gambling industry in Illinois.

Illinois casinos slots and table games break the $100 million mark

According to the Illinois Gaming Board, total adjusted gross receipts from Illinois casinos for January came to over $112.6 million. As anyone who knows the gaming industry would expect, almost 75% or $84.3 million of that total came from slot play.

Rivers Casino in Des Plaines was far and away the revenue leader. Rivers’ $45.5 million represented about 40.4% of the statewide total.

Also achieving eight-figure revenue totals for the month were the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin ($11.9 million) and Harrah’s in Joliet ($10.7 million). Those three casinos are some of the most immediate to the Chicago metro in the state.

These numbers do not include any in-person
sports betting activity at the casinos and race tracks during the month. The Illinois Gaming Board reports sportsbook numbers separately and on a different timeline. Even if that activity was meager for the month, though, the operators of these facilities should be happy.

Revenue up almost a quarter from 2022

In most businesses, 10% growth over a year would be exciting. An improvement of almost a quarter is a reason to celebrate.

In January 2022, these same 11 facilities claimed $87.7 million from slot machines and table game players. That means they did about 22.2% better last month in comparison.

Whether that was due to Illinoisans getting more comfortable with casino settings amid the pandemic or other factors, the operators of these facilities will take it. When regulators release the sports betting numbers for January 2023, the full picture of how Illinois gambling began the year will become clear.