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* COGFA’s latest wagering in Illinois update…
• In FY 2025, the State’s share of tax revenues from wagering in Illinois totaled $2.234 billion, a 6.8% increase over FY 2024 levels. This surge is in large part due to changes that continue to be implemented by the 2019 gaming expansion package and subsequent bills. The most significant increases have come from the Video Gaming and Sports Wagering industries. Other new projects are expected to expand gaming further including the development of permanent casinos in Illinois, including a racino in Collinsville, a casino in Waukegan, and a 4,000 position Chicago Casino.
• Statewide adjusted gross receipts (AGR) for Illinois casinos increased 12.2% in FY 2025. The AGR increase from $1.618 billion to $1.816 billion was largely a result of new casinos beginning operations throughout the state, including a new casino in East Hazel Crest. With this growth, the FY 2025 AGR total continued to grow beyond recent pre-pandemic levels and continues the recent reversal of the generally downward trend of casino revenues over the past decade.
• Changes to the graduated tax structure imposed on casinos have resulted in less State tax revenue than would have been collected under the previous rate structure. The average effective tax rate fell from 27.3% in FY 2020 to 20.0% in FY 2025. However, the State Gaming Transfer increased from $158 million in FY 2024 to $186 million in FY 2025 due to the new casino activity.
• The number of video gaming terminals in operation across Illinois has steadily increased to over 49,000 by the end of FY 2025. Video gaming machines generated over $3.086 billion in net terminal income in FY 2025, a 5% increase over the FY 2024 total of $2.932 billion. Approximately $159 million in tax revenues to local governments were generated in FY 2025, as well as over $921 million to the Capital Projects Fund. Despite Chicago not participating, Cook County still has by far the most video gaming terminals of any county with over 9,000 terminals. In regard to municipalities, Springfield had the most terminals (864) and the highest amount of net terminal income ($54 million) in FY 2025.
• After years of being the State’s largest source of gaming revenues, the Illinois Lottery fell to second. In FY 2025, the Illinois Lottery had $3.756 billion in sales, a decline from the previously recorded high of $3.858 billion in sales from FY 2024. The largest contributor of sales continues to come from Instant Games, making up 57.7% of the total. Lottery transfers to the Common School Fund were $777 million in FY 2025, a decline from the record of $877 million in FY 2024. Transfers to special causes increased from FY 2024 to FY 2025 totaling $12.1 million.
• Illinois’ horse racing handle slid from $490 million to $478 million in CY 2024, a decrease of 2.6%. This latest total is the lowest in over 40 years. The proliferation of advance deposit wagering (ADW) over the last decade has helped to soften these declines. The racing industry is hopeful that the potential “racino” at Hawthorne and the one recently opened at Fairmount Park will help rejuvenate an overall struggling industry.
• Illinois sports wagering generated over $1.3 billion in adjusted gross receipts in FY 2025. With the new graduated tax structure that took effect in FY 2025, approximately $429 million in tax revenues was collected. Additional revenues resulted from various sports wagering license fees. The total amount of funds transferred from the Sports Wagering Fund to earmarked areas such as the Capital Projects Fund (CPF), the Rebuild Illinois Projects Fund (RIPF), and the General Revenue Fund (GRF) was $380 million in FY 2025.
Discuss.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Oct 2, 25 @ 12:34 pm
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Are gaming and wagering still gambling?…hard to tell.
Comment by Dotnonymous x Thursday, Oct 2, 25 @ 12:56 pm
Increases in revenues are nice, but gambling is still economically a net social negative.
Increases in revenues from gambling aren’t something I greet as good news and it feels and compared with other economic indicators, this one always feels like setting a brick on my chest.
Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Oct 2, 25 @ 1:07 pm
Candy. I rarely agree with you, but you are spot on.
Comment by Blue Dog Thursday, Oct 2, 25 @ 1:19 pm
$50 says this is the high-water mark for state gaming revenue.
Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Oct 2, 25 @ 1:22 pm
People like to gamble. The alternative to the State regulating gambling is basically the mafia doing it, and that is a much bigger social negative.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Thursday, Oct 2, 25 @ 1:26 pm
Candy is exactly right. Every tax dollar gained from gambling revenue represents an additional gambling loss experienced by a person who would be much better off spending that money on almost anything else. Especially now that everyone has a casino in their pocket… I’m not celebrating those additional tax dollars that are coming from a 19-year-old college student chasing losses on Chinese ping pong matches at 2am.
Comment by I-55 Fanatic Thursday, Oct 2, 25 @ 1:29 pm
===$50 says this is the high-water mark for state gaming revenue. ===
I think you’re really under estimating the market that exists for wagering on dystopian “sporting events” that will arise after the death of our constitutional republic and what remains of civil liberties allow for White House Sponsored sporting events to expand from UFC fights to contests like the Running Man and the Bureau of Prisons, ICE, Homeland Security, et al, start running contests like the Squid Game.
=== Blue Dog - Thursday, Oct 2, 25 @ 1:19 pm:===
Good that not all hope is lost.
Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Oct 2, 25 @ 1:33 pm
=The alternative to the State regulating gambling is basically the mafia doing it, and that is a much bigger social negative.=
State regulated gaming has most definitely proliferated gambling in IL.
Comment by Brave New World Thursday, Oct 2, 25 @ 1:45 pm
Pew has a report out today on Americans increasingly seeing betting on sports as a bad thing for society.
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/10/02/americans-increasingly-see-legal-sports-betting-as-a-bad-thing-for-society-and-sports/
“Today, 47% of men under 30 say legal sports betting is a bad thing for society, up from 22% who said this in 2022.”
Comment by Humboldt Thursday, Oct 2, 25 @ 1:47 pm
===State regulated gaming has most definitely proliferated gambling in IL.
Having casinos and less so the gaming machines is one thing that can reduce organized crime influence (if they aren’t running the machines at least).
It’s an entirely different thing to have algorithm driven addiction machines on your phone. There’s something to making people get up and go somewhere.
Comment by ArchPundit Thursday, Oct 2, 25 @ 1:54 pm
==$50 says this is the high-water mark for state gaming revenue. ==
Will probably see more folks take their business to prediction markets treated as future contracts over time just because of the lower tax.
Comment by Drury's Missing Clock Thursday, Oct 2, 25 @ 3:12 pm