Video gambling keeps growing in Illinois
A report revealed that video gambling surpassed casino gambling in the state as the most profitable modality.
US.- The state legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability has recently released a report on gambling revenue that revealed that video gambling has become most profitable than casino gambling for Illinois.
The state reported US$296 million from video gambling machines during the fiscal year 2017 that ended on June 30, whilst the 10 casinos in the state decreased revenue by US$7 million when compared to the previous year. This marks the first time that video gambling revenue outpaces casinos ever since the machines became a legal activity five years ago.
Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association, said: “There’s no doubt video gambling has had a significant impact on riverboat casinos. The market is oversaturated and revenues are just shifting from one spot to another.” Only Rivers Casino and Hollywood Casino achieved more revenue in fiscal 2017 than 2016, local media reported.
Local video gambling revenue increased by US$44 million in 2017, a 17.5 percent rise over the same period a year before, whilst there was only a slight 12.5 percent increase in the number of video gambling terminals.
