A new report shows Illinois collected $2.7B in gambling revenue last fiscal year. That's 19% more than state brought in the year before.
While that money was collected from a variety of sources -- including sports betting, casinos, and the lottery -- slot machines generated in the most revenue for the second year in a row.
That's due in part to the pandemic, as video gaming revenue more than doubled in the Illinois between 2020 and 2022.
Plus, Maggie Dougherty, a reporter with Capitol News Illinois, said the number of terminals in the state is about to explode.
"When [video gaming terminals] were first introduced in 2012, people expected that that would plateau at 20,00 but there's no limited on how many establishments in the state can have them," she said. "Now we're approaching 50,000 and we're about to see that flood into Chicago, as the City Council just lifted the long time ban on video gaming terminals there."
Dougherty said sports betting is now the fastest growing form of gambling in Illinois, especially parlays.
Learn more at the podcast above.
The state generated $2.7B in gambling revenue in fiscal year 2026.
The state generated $2.7B in gambling revenue in fiscal year 2026.
