Illinois casinos generate over 22% year-on-year revenue increase in May
Let's Break Down the Boom in Illinois Casinos!Casino Cash Flow ** findings by Charlotte Capewell, our specialist**
Share this post! Illinois casinos saw some serious cash flow in May, stacking up a whopping $176.5 million! That's a hefty 22.7% surge compared to May last year. And what set this money train moving? The debut of two fresh casinos certainly gave it a little nudge.
Out of the 17 casinos that shared their digits with the Illinois Gaming Control Board, 13 saw a boost in their bankrolls.
The fresh faces accounted for approximately 61% of the blowout between May 2025 and May 2024. Welcome to the stage, Wind Creek Illinois, which opened its doors in April, and tallied an impressive $18.6 million. It took the second spot in the state's AGR league, trailing behind Rivers Casino's $45.5 million. No strangers to the spotlight, Fairmount Park Casino & Racing also joined the party in April, adding an extra million to the pile.
It's the Hard Rock Casino that seized the spotlight, though. It experienced a mind-boggling 101.5% increase year-on-year! Other casinos were smokin' hot, too, with the Golden Nugget Danville seeing a 31% spike and Walker's Bluff Casino Resort jumping a massive 25.6%.
Most of their dough rolled in from electronic gaming gadgets, amounting to an eye-popping $132.9 million, up by 24% from last year. Table games fed into this growth, contributing $43.6 million, marking an impressive 19.1% rise.
Illinois' gambling scene has been under the microscope, but for all the wrong reasons - mainly due to the kerfuffle surrounding sports betting. Still, operators like DraftKings aren't complaining. New taxes have driven them to start adding a surcharge to sports wagers in the state.
So, why the windfall in May? While the search results aren't spilling the beans, we can suspect the expansion of the gaming industry, recent legislative support, and new tax rates and regulations as potential catalysts for the growth. Don't quote us on this, but it's a plausible guess!
In this context of increasing cash flow in Illinois casinos, one can observe the significant impact of new casino ventures like Wind Creek Illinois and Fairmount Park Casino & Racing, which together accounted for a large portion of the year-on-year increase. Moreover, the gambling trends in Illinois indicate a growth primarily driven by electronic gaming machines, such as those offered by operators like DraftKings, suggesting a thriving casino culture supported by recent legislative changes and positive taxation reforms.
