Slot routes in Illinois grossed $211 million in September 2021, more than double the amount ($106 million) won by brick-and-mortar casinos. That is a 57 percent leap over 2019, although growth in the number of machines deployed was slow, up only a percentage point from August (but 25 percent greater than in September 2019), according to JP Morgan analyst Omer N. Sander. Win per slot per day was $172, steady with previous months.
J&J Ventures, based in the Land of Lincoln, nipped primary rival Accel Entertainment at the finish line, $62.5 million (90 percent above last September) to $60 million. J&J is presently lobbying to bring legitimized slot routes to Indiana and Missouri, although de facto slot routes run by other companies operate without cover of legality in the Show-Me State.
J&J also runs routes in Pennsylvania, where the gaming-machine industry enjoys a prickly political relationship with the Keystone State’s casinos, although there is mounting pressure to regulate and integrate slot routes into the state’s larger gaming framework to capitalize on their revenue potential. (J&J also purveys dart machines, pool tables, jukeboxes, ATMs and other non-slot devices in Kentucky.)
Between them, J&J and Accel accounted for 60 percent of Illinois’ market share. Their closest rival was Rick Heidner’s Gold Rush Amusements (with $19.6 million), followed by Prairie State Gaming ($11 million), Gaming & Entertainment Management ($7.8 million), Midwest Electronics Gaming ($6.1 million) and Lattner Entertainment ($4 million). Miscellaneous small operators mopped up the remaining $40.2 million.
Illinois casinos were down just 5 percent from September 2019, though that number is deceptive, as only two were revenue-positive. Those were state-leading Rivers Casino Des Plaines ($43 million, up 16 percent) and Caesars Entertainment-owned Grand Victoria in Elgin, gaining 4.5 percent to reach $13 million. Except for Hollywood Aurora — down 6 percent to $8.5 million — the rest suffered steep declines. Newly rebranded Bally’s Quad Cities plummeted 31.5 percent to $4 million and went to round-the-clock operations at the end of the month.
Empress Joliet plunged 21.5 percent to $7.5 million and Harrah’s Joliet was off 15.5 percent to $12 million. Par-A-Dice in Peoria fell 20.5 percent to $5 million and Harrah’s Metropolis slipped 19 percent, also to $5 million. Rounding out the state were East St. Louis’ DraftKings at Casino Queen, down 31.5 percent to $4 million and Argosy Belle in Alton, last in the state with $3 million, down 19.5 percent.
