World Series of Poker Reaches Illinois

By Kwame
Published October 25, 2022

Ceasars, Illinois, just spent over $4m renovating its Grand Victoria Casino Elgin, particularly the refurbishing of its sportsbook as well as a new World Series of Poker (WSOP) room.

Both the sportsbook and poker room will open where the Indulge Kitchen Buffet used to be. The poker room will cover 4,400 sq ft, hosting 20 tables. The sportsbook has three customer service windows and four self-service kiosks. 

The first WSOP event to be held in Illinois will take place in November.

The Grand Victoria’s general manager, Rolando Guerrero told local media Caesars was “focused on the guest experience and trying to attract new business and new players.” 

“We’re very excited to move forward with this and we hope to continue to refine and enhance our customers’ experiences. We see these additions as a win-win for our property as, at the end of the day, we will be a more robust and well-rounded business because of how we are positioning ourselves,” he said.

Sportsbooks in Illinois took $564.8m of wagers in August, up 9.4% from July and up 41% from August 2021. $540m from mobile wagering and $24.8m from retail sportsbooks.

The IGB reported $47.8m in revenue, a hold of nearly 8.5%. The state received close to $7.2m in taxes, contributing to a year-to-date total of around $65.3m.

FanDuel, which took $180.2m in bets online and at its retail sportsbook at the Fairmount Park racetrack, led the way. In second place was DraftKings, with a $172.2m handle, followed by BetRivers, with $74.2m.