Florida and Illinois closed September 30, 2026, with sharply different signals from their gaming-machine markets; Florida commercial gaming generated $73.8 million in August, down roughly 8% year on year, while Illinois video gaming terminals (VGTs) processed approximately $3.1 billion in wagers during the same month. The metrics are not equivalent: Florida reports commercial gaming revenue, while Illinois reports amount wagered, or handle.
In Florida, commercial slot machines at the eight authorized pari-mutuel facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties generated around $54 million in net slot revenue, down 10.2%. Magic City Casino led with $11.8 million (-10.3%), followed by Harrah’s Pompano Beach with $9.7 million (-8.3%); Hialeah Park with $7.6 million (-11.2%); Calder with $6.7 million (-12.5%); Casino Miami with $6.3 million (-14.7%); Gulfstream Park with $4.6 million (-8.2%); Casino @ Dania Beach with $4.2 million (-10.8%); and The Big Easy with $3.13 million (+1.2%). The Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) reports slot-machine revenue and cardroom gross receipts separately.
The FGCC is chaired by Julie Imanuel Brown; Tina Repp serves as Vice Chair and Alana Zimmer as Executive Director. The Commission also includes Peter Cuderman, John D’Aquila and William Spicola.
Illinois, by contrast, operates one of the largest distributed-gaming systems in the United States, with nearly 9,000 licensed locations and close to 50,000 VGTs. The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) also oversees 17 casinos and 14 active sportsbooks. In July, immediately before the August figures, the machines had processed $3.09 billion in wagers, generated $286.6 million in Net Terminal Income and paid $100.3 million in taxes.
Since July 2025, the tax on NTI has been 35%. The IGB is chaired by Dionne R. Hayden and administered by Marcus D. Fruchter, with headquarters at 160 North LaSalle Street in Chicago.
