Illinois’ Casino Industry Surges 21% YoY During October

Illinois’ casino market enjoyed sizable growth during October, buoyed by the opening of new retail facilities.

The Illinois Gaming Board revealed in its monthly revenue report that the retail gaming industry generated $165.8 million in October revenue. That represented a 21.2 percent year-over-year increase from the $136.8 million reported in 2024.

The totals were a welcome sign for officials at multiple levels of the local government, who have been focused on increasing their tax revenue. Recent suggestions indicated that the city of Chicago could add a layered tax on top of the existing penalties to generate even more money from wagering.

Illinois casinos beat 2024 marks

Hollywood Joliet Casino, which ditched its riverboat home for a $185 million land-based property in August, saw the largest year-over-year increase.

The facility—which includes more than 1,000 slot machines, 43 table games, a high-limits gambling den, and a retail sportsbook—reported 46.3 percent YoY growth, hitting $10.8 million in monthly revenue compared to the $7.4 million it produced last October.

This wasn’t the only location that saw double-digit YoY growth. Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort ballooned 26.6 percent from $2.4 million in October 2024 revenue to $3.1 million this time around.

Rivers Casino generated the highest monthly revenue total, checking in at $43.2 million. That was ahead of its 2024 total, but only by 2.5 percent ($42.1 million).

Wind Creek Casino, which opened in November 2024, generated the second-most revenue ($17.3 million).

DraftKings at Casino Queen saw the largest year-over-year decline, dropping 8.8 percent from $7.2 million to $6.5 million. Harrah’s Joliet was also down 6.6 percent from $9.4 million to $8.8 million.

Poised for more growth

Slot machines across all of Illinois' land-based casino properties generated $126.4 million, a year-over-year increase of 21.5 percent. Table games weren’t far behind, growing 20.2 percent YoY to $39.4 million.

The overall increases are largely tied to the expansion of gaming, which includes the opening of new locations. On top of Hollywood Joliet’s relocation and Wind Creek’s inauguration in late 2024, Accel Entertainment’s Fairmount Park Racetrack opened 300 new gaming stations this year.

Fairmount Park produced $1.5 million in adjusted gross receipts during October.

To add to the growing industry, Boyd Gaming has plans to relocate its Par-A-Dice riverboat casino in East Peoria to a new land-based site. Bally’s Chicago Casino is also expected to open in full in Sept. 2026 after operating at a temporary location at the Medinah Temple since Sept. 2023.

Illinois’ gross gaming revenue already eclipsed that of nearby state and fellow gaming powerhouse, Michigan.