Illinois Casinos
Illinois was the second state to legalize riverboat casinos. Riverboat casinos began operating there in September 1991 with the launching of the first boat: the Alton Belle.
All Illinois riverboats remain dockside and do not cruise. Unlike Mississippi, however, the casinos are not open 24 hours and state law limits the number of gaming licenses to 10.
Here’s information from the Illinois Gaming Board showing each casino’s average slot payback percentage for the one-year period from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011:
|
CASINO |
PAYBACK % |
|
|
Casino Queen |
94.28 |
|
|
Alton Belle |
92.85 |
|
|
Grand Victoria |
92.68 |
|
|
Rock Island |
91.90 |
|
|
Par-A-Dice |
91.58 |
|
|
91.58 |
|
| Hollywood |
91.30 |
|
|
Empress |
91.07 |
|
|
Harrah’s Metropolis |
89.48 |
These figures reflect the total percentages returned by each casino for all of their electronic machines.
Admission is free to all Illinois casinos and, unless otherwise noted, all casinos offer: slots, video poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, Caribbean stud poker and three card poker. Some casinos also offer: let it ride (LIR), baccarat (B), mini-baccarat (MB), poker (P), Texas hold em bonus (THB), pai gow poker (PGP) and four card poker (FCP).
If you want to order a drink while playing, be aware that Illinois gaming regulations do not allow casinos to provide free alcoholic beverages. The minimum gambling age is 21.
For more information on visiting Illinois contact the state’s Bureau of Tourism at (800) 226-6632 or www.enjoyillinois.com
Shown below is a list of all Illinois casinos. Click on a casino name to see a page of detailed information about that particular casino.
- Argosys Alton Belle Casino
- Argosys Empress Casino
- Casino Queen
- Grand Victoria Casino
- Harrahs Joliet
- Harrahs Metropolis
- Hollywood Casino - Aurora
- Jumers Casino Rock Island
- Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino
- Rivers Casino
