Revenue from video gaming terminals in Illinois hit $213.2 million in June, a 57 percent increase over what slot routes took in during June 2019. That was also more than double the gross from the state’s casinos. There were 25 percent more VGTs in the marketplace than two years ago, for a total of 40,157, and win per unit per day stood at $177.
The leader was J&J Ventures, grossing $63.9 million for the month, followed by Accel Entertainment with $60.3 million and, more distantly, Gold Rush Amusements’ $19.8 million. Prairie State Gaming brought in $11.4 million, but no other operator broke the $10 million-per-month mark.
Gold Rush got the most bang for its buck, at $199 win per slot day. J&J was second with $186, followed by Prairie State Gaming’s $175 and Accel’s $157.
By contrast, Land of Lincoln casinos grossed an aggregate of $105.3 million during the same period, five percent off the 2019 pace. The market leader, and one of the only two revenue-positive casinos in the state, was Rivers Casino Des Plaines, grossing $41.3 million and posting a 9 percent increase in revenue. Argosy Belle, in Alton, may have grossed only $3 million, but according to JP Morgan calculations, that was a 315 percent improvement on 2019.
In the northern tier, Penn National Gaming’s Empress Joliet suffered the harshest blow, down 28.5 percent to $7 million. Penn’s Hollywood Aurora was off 7.5 percent to $8.5 million. Harrah’s Joliet slipped 5.3 percent to $12.5 million, while Grand Victoria in Elgin (another Caesars Entertainment casino) was down five percent to $13.1 million.
Mid-state, Boyd Gaming’s Par-A-Dice shed 7.8 percent to $5.6 million and Jumer’s Casino Rock Island, in its last month before becoming part of Bally’s Corp., plummeted 34.2 percent to $3.8 million. In southern Illinois, Harrah’s Metropolis was down 13.6 percent to $5.4 million and DraftKings at Casino Queen, in East St. Louis, plunged 37 percent to $5.3 million.
