In Illinois, new, expanded and relocated suburban casinos are poised to capture local players and revenue, experts agree. Although Bally’s $1.7 billion casino in downtown Chicago will open by 2025, the suburban casinos expect to hold their own with snazzy facilities and state-of-the-art technology that will attract local gamblers.
Expanded gambling also will create more jobs and tax revenue, observers said. That includes building six new casinos statewide authorized by lawmakers in 2019—in Chicago, the south suburbs, Danville, Rockford, Waukegan and Homewood-East Hazel Crest—and replacing existing riverboats with new land-based casino resorts in Aurora and Joliet.
Chris Grove, partner at consultants Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, said, “Each has a relatively distinct core audience it will market to. I also don’t think it’s the logic for Chicago to be drawing from the suburbs. For many consumers, convenience is a major factor.”
Thomas Thanas, executive director at the Illinois Casino Gaming Association, agreed, noting most casinos depend primarily on customers from within a 25-mile radius. He said, “The gaming industry is much like other retail businesses that rely on location. Having a facility that is highly visible and easily accessible, with parking and room for amenities, is key to the gaming industry.”
Here’s a quick rundown of suburban and other new Illinois casinos:
- In Waukegan, Full House Resorts will open a temporary location for its ≈ casino by December.
- Hard Rock Rockford already operates a temporary casino.
- Penn Entertainment, owner of Hollywood Casinos, announced plans to build new casinos to replace aging riverboats in Aurora and Joliet; the $360 million Aurora project would move ashore from its downtown location and the $185 million Joliet casino would be located in the Rock Run Crossings mixed-use district. Penn Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Jay Snowden said, “These two projects will significantly improve our offerings in the highly attractive Chicagoland market while creating hundreds of new full-time jobs for the local communities.”
- The Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, purchased by Caesars Entertainment in 2020, recently opened a new sportsbook and poker room.
Illinois gaming tax revenue rose 39 percent in fiscal 2022 to a record $1.9 billion, thanks to Covid-19 recovery, the growth of video gambling terminals to 44,000−equal to 36 casinos−and the second full year of legalized sports wagering. In fact, Illinois now ranks second in gaming revenue behind Nevada. But while receipts jumped 46 percent at the state’s 11 casinos, the total stayed below pre-pandemic levels and has dropped 20 percent since video gaming was legalized a decade ago.
Thanas of the ICGA, said the association had opposed casino expansion, claiming the market already was saturated. But now since gambling is expanding, operators are improving amenities and incorporating new technology like contactless, cashless betting.
But as gambling expands, so does gambling addiction. A state study found nearly 4 percent of adults in the state have a gambling problem; the number of those in treatment for gambling addiction nearly doubled in fiscal year 2021. An additional 8 percent, or 761,000 people, are at risk to develop a gambling problem.
