How Is Illinois’ Casino Industry Performing In 2025?

Legal, regulated gambling has existed in Illinois for nearly a Century. However, early options were limited to betting on horse racing and buying lottery tickets. Riverboat casinos were launched in 1991. Since then, gambling laws have continued to evolve. Initially, this meant riverboat casinos could offer gambling while docked before casinos could be operated on dry land.

Gambling In Illinois

Currently, Illinois does not permit online casino gaming, except at sweepstakes casinos, although the Prairie State may follow other states in banning these. Some lawmakers are attempting to push through regulations to allow online gambling, but, for now, players in the state must turn to offshore casinos. Card players can also find online poker sites available in Illinois, offering, according to sports betting expert Richard Smith, cash games as well as tournaments and freerolls.

Casino Gross Receipts

While Illinois does not make any money from online gambling, it does have a well-developed physical casino gambling industry. In April, the state posted gross receipts of $162.6m, an impressive increase of 18.7% compared to the year before. The vast majority of this revenue came from electronic gaming devices.

Although electronic gaming devices include a host of different machines, slot machines are the most popular. Slots are popular offline and online because they are easy to learn while still offering sizeable jackpots and generous bonuses. Modern slots can also incorporate more involved bonus games and additional features that make them feel more like video games than mechanical slots.

Illinois Gambling History

The history of Illinois’s regulated casinos dates back to 1990 when the Riverboat Gambling Act was introduced. The first riverboat casino set sail in 1991. In 1999, the law was amended to allow riverboat casinos to continue offering gambling while docked, and in 2009, the state launched the Video Gaming Act, which allowed bars, truck stops, and various clubs throughout the state to offer slots and other electronic gaming machines.

Electronic Gaming Machines

In 2012, there were just 712 electronic games with a total profit of $1.3m. In April 2025, alone, they brought in more than 100 times this amount - $122m. Although this figure dwarfed traditional casino table games, games like roulette, baccarat, and craps still generated $40.5m in the month, up from $32.9m in 2024.

Individual Casinos

Rivers Casino recorded the highest receipts of $43.8m and was just one of five casinos that topped $10m for the month. The other four were Wind Creek, Grand Victoria Casino, Hard Rock Casino Rockford, and Bally’s Chicago. In total, 17 casinos were operating in the month, with Wind Creek being the newest, having only opened its doors in November 2024.

Expanding iGaming Regulations

Illinois’s gambling laws continue to evolve. Sports betting was legalized in June 2019, with the first sportsbooks coming online in March 2020. Rep. Edgar Gonzalez and Sen. Cristina Castro are hoping to further expand gambling products in the state, having launched House Bill 3080 and Senate Bill 1963, respectively.

Both acts aim to bring in the Internet Gaming Act, which would allow casino operators to operate casinos under three separate skins. If all existing casinos took advantage of this, there could be dozens of regulated online casinos launched in the state.

While it is deemed a positive sign that the move has the backing of a state senator and a representative, previous attempts to pass similar bills have been rebuked, including in 2024.

Changes To The Bill

The last attempt saw a 15% tax rate proposed. But this time, lawmakers are looking for an increased 25% tax. Furthermore, in the hope of preventing casinos from reducing the workload in their physical venues. Any sportsbook or casino that has reduced its workforce by 25% since February 2020 would not be permitted a new online gambling licence.

Meeting Budget Shortfalls

One reason the bill might pass is because of the state’s likely budget shortfall. The state has a projected shortfall of $3.2bn for 2026, and it is believed that the new gambling bills could go a long way to covering this loss. The bills are not without their critics, though, who primarily point to the legalization of online gambling as cannibalizing the profits from physical electronic gaming machines.

Casino Relocation Plans

Illinois has a long history of evolving gambling regulations, which may help push through these most recent proposals. Another bill that some physical casinos hope to see passed is House Bill 4070.

Rep. Joe Sosnowski proposed the bill, which would require the Illinois Gaming Board to offer alternative sites that struggling physical casinos could relocate to, in order to help them turn profits. The bill would enable up to three of the poorest performing casinos to relocate.

One that would fall under the auspices of the gaming board would be Walker’s Bluff, but that casino only opened in 2023 and is part of a resort that includes its own winery. This, and Golden Nugget, which only opened in 2023, might not be interested in moves.

Also as part of the plans, neighbourhoods and areas would be able to express an interest in housing a new casino in their area, potentially helping improve employment and economic figures in struggling regions. In contrast, the municipality that loses a casino would receive double the tax share that it did the year before losing the licence, ensuring it didn’t suffer economically as a result of the loss.

By GamesAndCasino