August 2026 · Illinois
Illinois has 1,817 rooms left with space for another machine
Every month we pull the Illinois Gaming Board’s published figures and look at what they say about the market as a whole. No opinions, no projections — just the state’s own numbers, arranged so they answer a question an owner or an operator actually has.
Last month we reported that Illinois had stopped adding locations. August says where the growth went instead.
The rooms with space left are disappearing
An Illinois establishment license allows six terminals. In August, 1,817 locations were still running fewer than six — the only venues in the state with room to add one without a new license.
Every August since 2021, that number:
- August 2021: 3,240 locations with room left
- August 2022: 2,786
- August 2023: 2,463
- August 2024: 2,237
- August 2025: 2,023
- August 2026: 1,817
Two hundred and six of them filled up in the last twelve months. Over five years the pool has almost halved, and it has shrunk every single year.
Keep reading — it’s free
You’ve read the headline. The rest of this issue — the county-by-county breakdown, what it means for your side of the table, and how the numbers are built — opens with your email. You’ll also get next month’s when the state publishes.