Illinois Casinos Post Slight Gains in Otherwise Unimpressive July

Bean counters don’t want to give a warped view of Illinois casino revenues, but numbers have been underwhelming at most gaming locations across the state. (Image: Arne Amberg / Alamy)

Casinos in Illinois posted slight gains year-over-year in July, but it was still a month to forget for most of the state’s larger gambling venues.

Overall, the state’s 15 casinos brought in a total of $135.8 million in revenue in July 2024, up 1.9 percent compared to the same period a year earlier, according to data released by the Illinois Gaming Board.

Existing Casinos See Revenues Decline vs. 2023

However, that increase came only because there are two new casinos in the state compared to this same time last year. Without including Bally’s Chicago or Walker’s Bluff Casino, the 13 casinos that existed last year were down 7.9 percent compared to July 2023.

The state’s biggest casinos took some of the most significant hits. Harrah’s Joliet saw revenues decline 10.5 percent year-over-year, down to $10.9 million. The Grand Victoria (down 8.7 percent) and Rivers Casino (down 6.7 percent) also suffered significant revenue drops in July. 

Only two casinos saw growth in July. American Place saw revenues soar 12.9 percent to $8.9 million, while Hollywood Aurora largely held steady, gaining 0.7 percent compared to July 2023. 

American Place is a new temporary casino in Waukegan (opened in February 2023), about 35 miles north of downtown Chicago. Their permanent, $375 million location was originally scheduled to open in 2025, but that date has been moved back to 2027 after a lawsuit delayed some construction activity.

Statewide, revenue was also down month-over-month, as total casino revenue declined 1.8 percent compared to the $138.3 million they collected in June, despite an extra day in July. However, this could be attributed to the summer slowdown that is common throughout much of the gaming industry.

Gaming industry insiders don’t appear ready to consider the Illinois casino market saturated yet, but lackluster numbers again do have some of us watching more closely what happens in future months and quarters.

Bally’s Chicago Down a Tick in July

The temporary Bally’s Chicago venue at Medinah Temple continues to fall short of expectations, bringing in $10.3 million for the month of July. That was down slightly – less than 0.1 percent – compared to its June haul. 

While the local tax allocations in Chicago from Bally’s were up to $1.4 million for the month, that’s still well short of the approximately $3 million monthly the casino would need to generate to meet Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budgeted amount of $35 million for 2024.

The numbers for Bally’s Chicago could improve when its permanent facility is completed. Bally’s announced last month that it had secured an additional $940 million needed to complete the casino in River West on the site of a former Chicago Tribune printing plant.

Overall, Illinois casinos generated $30.4 million in tax revenue for the state during June, as well as an additional $8.6 million for local governments.