Illinois, where the state casino business is still growing, is a far cry from other commercial gambling states where in-person revenue is declining this summer.

According to the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB), the 17 physical casinos in the state generated over $167.5 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR) in July.  In comparison to July 2024, when casinos won $135.8 million, that was a 23.3% year-over-year rise, or a difference of over $31.7 million.

Slot machines are a favorite among Illinois gamblers, as seen by the over $127.6 million earned from electronic games in July. Less than $40 million was the felt win.

With a July GGR of more over $44 million, Rivers Casino Des Plaines remained in first place. The only gambling establishment in Illinois to win more than $19 million last month was the casino at O'Hare in Chicago.

With $18.8 million, Wind Creek Chicago Southland came in a far second.  More than $13 million was won by no other casino.

Casino Growth

The commercial casino sector in Illinois is still expanding.  All but two casinos announced year-over-year GGR increases last month.

Hollywood Casino Joliet, whose earnings slowed 44% to $4.2 million, and Harrah's Joliet Casino & Hotel, whose earnings slowed 3% to $10.6 million, were the only losers.

Given that the riverboat was only open for 28 days last month, Hollywood Joliet's GGR decline was anticipated.  After 33 years of operation, operator Penn Entertainment shut down the gaming vessel on July 29.

About two miles from the location of its riverboat dock, Penn has now established Hollywood Casino Joliet in a new land-based complex.  With 1,000 slot machines, 43 live-dealer table games, a high-limit section, and an ESPN Bet Sportsbook, the $185 million physical casino offers a significantly greater selection of gaming options than the boat.  In addition, Hollywood Joliet features an events center and a restaurant owned by famous chef Giada De Laurentiis.

The opening of Wind Creek and Fairmount Park, two more casinos, helped July 2025.

Wind Creek originates from the Alabama-based Poarch Band of Creek Indians, a federally recognized tribe.  In November 2024, the tribe's commercial Wind Creek Chicago Southland launched for business.

The largest casino in Illinois is Chicago Southland, which has 81K square feet of gaming space.  There are 56 tables, 1,400 slots, and a sportsbook on the floor.

After being purchased by Accel Entertainment, Fairmount introduced electronic table games and slot machines to the horse racetrack.  There are over 300 gaming positions in the casino. 

Increased Prospects for Growth 

With more facilities opening in the upcoming years, it's likely that GGR in Illinois will continue to rise.

Boyd Gaming is considering replacing its long-standing riverboat in East Peoria with a new Par-A-Dice casino.  The cities of East Peoria and Peoria are engaged in a turf war over the location of the new casino.

The IGB keeps emphasizing that gambling at casinos is only allowed in person.  This year, Kalshi, Bovada, Crypto.com, Robinhood, and BetOnline are among the unlicensed and unregulated online casino, sportsbook, and prediction market sites to which the state gaming regulatory body has issued a large number of cease and desist letters.

The Illinois General Assembly is still considering a bill that would outlaw online sweepstakes casinos.