Illinois has video poker parlors on every street corner. Bars, restaurants, fraternal organizations, gas stations, liquor stores, you name it, they all have 3-5 video poker machines. My city has the highest concentration of machines and it is NOT Chicago land. Video poker is HUGE here and it shows. The monthly cash flows are outrageous at some of these places. People have sued to try and get them at laundro-mats and lost.
I don't know that we can have casinos on land as they are mostly on riverboats.
Our state lotteries (like 5 variations not counting Powerball, Mega Millions and scratchers) are heavily pushed.
I don't like to gamble, don't disprove of it but just don't partake. I buy a few scratchers once a year when we go to a favorite old time restaurant to scratch while waiting on food. Never won more than $20.
EDIT:
May 2017 income figures from official report:
Amount played $34,371,181 (I think this includes cash into the machines and 'winnings' that were replayed)
Amount won $31,716,422
Amount wagered $11,077,566 (at least $11,000,000 in CASH was put into machines in May in a city of 120,000 - Springfield. $91 for every man, woman and child in the city)
Amount paid out $8,422,653
Taxable income $2,654,912
State tax share $663,733
Municipal tax share $132,746
I would hate to think what the county totals are. My county has ~200,000 residents with each municipality having machines in EACH town.
