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Tag: video gaming terminal

  • Illinois Casino Revenue Reaches a Record $1.9 Billion in 2025

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    Posted on: January 12, 2026, 09:38h. 

    Last updated on: January 12, 2026, 10:30h.

    • Illinois casino revenue reached $1.9 billion in 2025
    • 2025 was a record year for Illinois casinos
    • Concerns about VGTs in Chicago overshadow Bally’s $1.7 billion investment

    Gamblers in Illinois lost more money than ever before in 2025 at the state’s 17 physical casinos.

    Illinois casino revenue Rivers Des Plaines
    Rivers Casino Des Plaines again led the Illinois casino market in annual gaming revenue in 2025. The state’s 17 casinos won more than $1.9 billion on their physical slot machines and table games. (Image: Shutterstock)

    The Illinois Gaming Board reports that 2025 gross gaming revenue (GGR), or the amount of money the casinos kept after paying out winnings, totaled $1,943,722,561.89. The bulk of the winnings, about $1.49 billion, came on slot machines. Table games accounted for the remaining $457.8 million.

    The more than $1.9 billion in casino revenue represented a 15% increase from 2024, when GGR totaled approximately $1.7 billion. The 2025 mark represents a 29% jump from 2023 win of $1.5 billion, and a nearly 44% surge from 2019 prepandemic revenue of $1.35 billion.

    Rivers Casino Des Plaines remained the top casino in Illinois. The casino jointly owned by Churchill Downs and Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming reported GGR of $503 million for a 26% state market share.

    Wind Creek Chicago Southland, which opened in November 2024, was next at $198 million.

    State, Chicago Gaming Expansion

    2025 marked the first full year for Wind Creek Chicago Southland, a $529 million facility that was authorized through Illinois’ 2019 gaming expansion package. The bill, part of Gov. JB Pritzker’s (D) “Rebuild Illinois” initiative, authorized five casinos in the Chicago suburbs and an integrated resort casino destination in downtown Chicago.

    Last year was also the first full year for Hard Rock Casino Rockford. Hard Rock generated 2025 GGR of $146.2 million to place third.

    Caesars’ Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin was fourth at $142.2 million, and the Bally’s Chicago temporary casino at the Medinah Temple, also authorized through the 2019 gaming bill, was fifth with GGR of $124.7 million.

    Bally’s continues to make headway on its $1.7 billion permanent casino in Chicago’s River West neighborhood. Bally’s officials have an ambitious plan to open the resort by the end of the year.

    The casino company continues to oppose efforts to allow slot-like video gaming terminals (VGTs) to come to the city proper. Chicago aldermen are pursuing VGTs as a much-needed revenue source, though Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) called the $16.6 billion budget passed by the City Council “morally bankrupt” because of relying on VGT gaming, among other things.

    Through November, the most recently reported month, statewide VGT revenue in 2025 totaled more than $2.91 billion. In Aurora, one of the largest municipalities in the Chicago region with a population of about 200K people, 2025 VGT revenue in the city totaled more than $14.6 million.

    Sports Concerns

    While Illinois casino revenue continues to grow, there are concerns regarding the future of the state’s sports betting industry. As Casino.org’s Todd Shriber reported in November, the state’s recently implemented per-bet surcharge has led to fewer overall sports bets.

    Illinois now imposes a 25-cent per-bet charge on a sportsbook’s first 20 million bets. The surcharge jumps to 50 cents after the operator exceeds 20 million bets in a year.

    The Sports Betting Alliance, a coalition fighting for the expansion of sports gambling and favorable regulations, claims the per-bet charge led to five million fewer bets made in September 2025 than were placed in September 2024.

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    Devin O’Connor

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  • Pennsylvania Bans Three Adults From Casinos

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    Posted on: October 24, 2025, 05:29h. 

    Last updated on: October 23, 2025, 01:34h.

    • Three adults in Pennsylvania lost their casino privileges after they left children unattended in their vehicles to gamble
    • The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has also announced fines against three licensees

    Three more adults have been permanently excluded from brick-and-mortar casinos in Pennsylvania.

    Pennsylvania casinos unattended children
    The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board recently banned three adults for leaving children unattended in their vehicles while they gambled inside a casino. The three adults have permanently lost their privileges to gamble inside a physical casino within the commonwealth. (Image: Shutterstock)

    On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) disclosed that it recently levied several financial penalties against its licensees. The state gaming regulatory agency additionally announced that three adults had been added to the PGCB’s Involuntary Casino Exclusion List.

    In one incident, the state reports that a male and female patron left two children, aged 11 and 12, unattended in a vehicle outside of Hollywood Casino Morgantown. The PGCB detailed that the two guardians gambled inside the casino for more than half an hour while the children sat in the parking lot.

    In another incident, a female patron left three children, aged 2, 6, and 12, in a vehicle in the parking lot of Hollywood Casino York. The unidentified person, who is now barred from entering all casinos in the commonwealth, reportedly gambled on slot machines and table games for almost half an hour.

    Actions such as these to deny statewide gambling privileges serve as a reminder that adults are prohibited from leaving minors unattended in the parking lot or garage, a hotel, or other venues at a casino since it creates a potentially unsafe and dangerous environment for the children,” the PGCB said.

    Pennsylvania is home to 17 physical casinos. The state is additionally one of only seven jurisdictions in the country where online slot machines and live dealer table games are legal. Pennsylvania is also home to online and in-person sports betting.

    Regulatory Violations 

    Along with the unattended children incidents, the PGCB took action against a video gaming terminal (VGT) operator for regulatory violations.

    The Lucky Seven Travel Plaza in Lock Haven, Clinton County, was fined after it was determined that the truck stop gaming area wasn’t compliant with the state’s VGT statute. Law enforcement determined that the Lucky Seven gaming room was, at times, not properly staffed with board-credentialed employees. Individuals not at least 21 years of age were allowed to access the gaming terminals, and on at least two occasions, minors gambled on the machines.

    Vasas Inc., doing business as the Lucky Seven Travel Plaza, was fined $45K. The PGCB additionally fined the two owners of the facility $5K.

    The PGCB also executed consent agreements with two casinos that resulted in fines.

    Live! Casino Hotel Philadelphia agreed to pay a $12K fine to settle a dispute regarding a compromised deck of cards being in play. Hollywood Casino York agreed to a $10K settlement after allowing an involuntarily excluded person access to the gaming floor. 

    September Revenue

    Pennsylvania retail casino revenue slowed last month as physical slot win was about 3% lower and table win was flat from September 2024. The in-person declines were easily offset elsewhere, however, as iGaming slot revenue surged 37% and online table games climbed 18% from the prior year.

    Along with sports betting, fantasy sports, VGTs, and online poker, total gross gaming revenue last month was $533.3 million. That represented a 5.4% improvement from September 2024, or a net positive difference of $27.5 million.

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    Devin O’Connor

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