How Much Potential Revenue Could Illinois Have Made On Online Casino? The Senate Report Is In

The Illinois State Senate has finished its Internet Gaming in Illinois report, detailing how much money could have been generated had online casino been legal prior to the pandemic.

The figures are colorful despite being quotes.

Online casino gaming in Illinois may have brought in anywhere between$ 622.4 million and$ 1.249 billion for users over the 16-month period starting on February 28, 2020, according to report artists.

The report then demonstrates how much tax revenue, based on various smooth tax rates, an Illinois online casino may have generated. The following are the figures:

12 %:$ 75 million to$ 150 million
• 15 %: Between$ 93 million and$ 187 million
• 16 %: Between$ 100 million and$ 200 million
• Between$ 105 million and$ 230 million: 15 % on the first$ 25 million, 20 % of the remaining funds.

For context, legal sports betting in Illinois has generated about $53.8 million in tax revenue in about a 14-month span.

Online casino games are simply permitted in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia. Nevada does not have a casino, but it does have authorized online casino.

The Illinois report’s authors from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability used state revenue data and demographic adjustments to tell their record.

They also looked at factors like the booming video gaming terminal ( VGT ) industry in Illinois and people & rsquo, as well as their gaming habits during the pandemic as opposed to a & ldquo society, which is back to normal andrtquo.

The biggest challenge to passing the virtual casino in Illinois, however, is the VGT issue. Let’s break it down, Let & rsquo.

Why Illinois virtual casinos care about VGTs

Illinois easily has the largest VGT market in the country. There are over 40,000 VGTs in Illinois.

The most VGTs are found in West Virginia, the position where virtual casinos are permitted, as a comparison. There are only about 7,500 of them in West Virginia.

VGTs are regarded as rivals because they offer activities that are comparable to those found in online casinos. The creators of the reports made an effort to include VGTs in their revenue projections.

It’s difficult to predict how many online casinos may affect VGTs precisely because there isn’t a precedence in the US. The report’s authors have determined that fragmentation is probable, despite what they may think.

from the report’s website 22:

History has shown that the development of new betting, whether it takes the form of a brand-new game or the installation of video games terminals across the state, will probably result in fewer games being played there. While the State may gain some new gamblers and money from online gambling, it is likely that a sizable part of these revenues may come from already-existing gaming industries. & rdquo,

The authors detail how casinos in the Chicago area have experienced revenue decreases ever since the inception of VGTs.

The report concludes the VGT part by saying:

However, it’s possible that the tax rate imposed on video gambling revenues would be significantly lower if it were higher than the rates currently impose on virtual casinos. Despite the rise in overall games dollars, the overall net value of all taxes collected may be remarkably low. & rdquo,

VGTs generated about $70 million in tax revenue in April 2021 alone. Of course, that number will not going to go to zero if online casinos in Illinois become legal.

However, when it comes to the following circular of negotiations, politicians might be afraid of the unknown.

Has the pandemic increased the growth of online gaming?

A part of the report also blames the pandemic for the rise in US online gambling in 2020. on website 14:

& ldquo, The paucity of entertainment options during the pandemic likely increased the number of new and existing players taking part in the gambling activity. Additionally, the amount wagered may have increased as a result of increases in discretionary spending brought on by other areas’ lack of saving and / or the federal stimulus investigations.

These higher-than-normal numbers must be taken into account in the Commission & rsquo’s fictitious projections for Illinois as well. & rdquo,

With that said, we haven’t seen any evidence of a post-pandemic drop off yet in any state. In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the robust online numbers appear to be the new normal.

It & rsquo, while undoubtedly something to keep an eye on moving forward, shouldn’t be an automatic presumption.

What is the situation with online casinos in Illinois?

The IllinoisHouse and Senate introduced online casino bills early in 2021. Neither gained substantial traction, but there is momentum for expanded internet gaming in IL moving forward.

Sen. Cristina Castro toldPlay Illinois that 2023 could be the year to target:

I’m not sure if it can be completed in a year, andldquo. There are individuals with problems, and we need to tackle VGTs. It will take some time to teach my colleagues on what iGaming is and what it isn’t. Perhaps we lay the foundation over 2022 and consider 2023 to move it. & rdquo,

Online casino was a hot topic at a public April House Executive Committee hearing. There were proponents and detractors, and the detractors were mainly on the VGT side.

The gaming legislative conflict in the Land of Lincoln over the coming years will be that & rsquo.