The Illinois Gaming Board has reported that the state generated nearly $137.7 million in casino revenue in February, the second-highest casino figure in the past 13 months.
While February’s revenue just falls short of December’s high of $141.2 million, it marks an increase of about 16 percent from the $118.6 million reported in January. The key driver behind February’s revenue increase was that all 15 authorized casinos operating in the state reported monthly revenue growth when compared to January.
Of the 15 operators, Rivers Casino in Des Plaines saw the largest jump in dollars, up almost $5 million from January. But percentage-wise, Bally’s Quad Cities Casino had the biggest month-on-month gains of 41 percent, up from around $3.6 million to just more than $5 million. Rivers also generated the highest revenue figure of $43.6 million. The Grand Victoria was the second-highest with $11.8 million.
The $137 million figure comprises adjusted gross receipts from electronic gaming devices ($102.9 million) and table games ($34.6 million). February’s revenue also marks an increase of about 19 percent from the previous February, during which the state reported $115 million in casino revenue, including more than $88 million from electronic gaming devices and almost $27 million from table games. The report also includes information on tax allocations for the month, during which the state reported $8.2 million in local taxes, up from $7.1 million in January.
During February, Bally’s Chicago set a new record, generating $1 million in local taxes for the first time. The casino earned the state’s fourth-highest monthly revenue figure of $9.8 million, behind Harrah’s Joliet Casino & Hotel, which brought in $10.5 million.
