A report released by the Illinois General Assembly’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability has revealed that gambling revenues collected by the state for the fiscal year hit an all-time high of $1.9 billion.
This was an increase of 35.7% on the previous record which was set back in the 2019 fiscal year.
Lottery
Lottery sales accounted for the lion’s share of state gambling revenues collected from July 2021 to June 2022 as sales pulled in $833 million. This marks a near 6% increase on the previous year’s total. This increases in state revenue came despite a drop in actual sales.
According to the Lottery, the ‘iLottery platform’ accounted for the jump in revenues as almost $279 million in sales came online. This was up by 64% on the previous year.
Illinois Shatters State Gambling Revenue Record for the Fiscal Year Illinois Shatters State Gambling Revenue Record for the Fiscal YearVideo gambling
Video gambling revenue generated $762 million for the state over the year setting yet another fiscal record. This was an increase of 52% on the previous year. However, the report noted that this was due to recent law changes that saw an increase in the state’s share of video gambling revenues.
This revenue jump was also helped by an increase in the number of machines as June 2022 saw 43,128 machines operating across 7,967 establishments. This was up by 7.4% on the previous year.
Casinos
State revenue from casinos in Illinois recovered from pandemic closures as the state collected $140 million. However, this was still some way short of the pre-pandemic levels.
Tom Thanas, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association said:
Illinois Shatters State Gambling Revenue Record for the Fiscal YearSports betting & horse racing
Sports betting in Illinois saw the state collect $142 million during the reporting period. This was more than double the previous year’s figure.
Illinois Shatters State Gambling Revenue Record for the Fiscal YearOther gambling activities such as bingo, raffles, and pull tabs generated the remaining $4 million for the state.
An experienced iGaming commentator and analyst based in New York City - Jenny reports on regulation and gambling industry news and events.