Video gambling proved to be profitable for Monroe County once again in 2023, with a slight uptick in overall activity and municipal revenue for Waterloo, Columbia and Valmeyer.

According to the Illinois Gaming Board, Waterloo saw the greatest amount of wagering activity in Monroe County last year, with a total of $60.3 million played and $54.9 million won.  This all took place at the city’s 19 gaming establishments with 102 terminals among them.

As far as income, terminals in Waterloo saw $19.3 million put in, $13.9 put out and $5.4 million in net terminal income.

These figures are up slightly from the previous year when Waterloo gamblers put $17.9 million into their terminals, received $13 million and the terminals had a net income of $5 million.

The most profitable video gaming business in Waterloo was Ruby’s, 949 Illinois Route 3, with a net terminal income of $817,632. Ruby’s was also the most profitable establishment in Monroe County as a whole.

Along with Ruby’s, the top five establishments in Waterloo include Hucks at 884 Illinois Route 3 with an NTI of $575,961, Debbie’s Slots Lounge at  742 N. Market Street with $507,718, Randy’s Double R Bar at 107 S. Main Street with $448,560 and Outsider at 104 S. Market Street with $440,535.

In terms of taxes, the tax rate for NTI in Illinois is 34 percent. In Waterloo, the NTI tax for 2023 stood at $1.8 million, with the city getting $268,562.

In Waterloo, funds from video gambling tax revenue go toward the city’s beautification efforts such as the street lights downtown.

Waterloo Mayor Stan Darter noted that the largest spending item these funds are currently going toward is a donation for the Waterloo Park District splash pad at William Zimmer Park, with $200,000 recently being donated and an additional $200,000 set to be donated later this year.

Columbia’s video gaming activity for 2023 stands about $6 million behind Waterloo, though the city also has only 71 terminals at 13 establishments.

The total amount played in Columbia was $54.5 million, with $49.9 million.

When it comes to income, Columbia gamblers put $17.8 million into the city’s machines, getting $13.2 million back, providing an NTI of $4.6 million.

Like in Waterloo, Columbia’s figures are also up from 2022, when it saw $15.1 million going in, $11.2 million going out and a NTI of $3.9 million.

The top earner in the city was B & D’s Slots of Fun (ACCS Restaurant Columbia LLC) at 950 Columbia Centre Drive. This business had a $798,003 NTI.

Columbia runners-up include Top Shooters at 531 Old Route 3 with $634,114 earned, Tiny’s Pub & Grill at 602 N. Main Street at $553,769, Washy’s Pub at 210 S. Main Street at $481,205 and Ace’s Wild at 208 N Main St at $445,003.

All this activity saw a collective tax of $1.6 million in Columbia, with the city keeping $231,216.

Columbia gambling funds contribute to the city’s parks.

Valmeyer has much smaller gaming activity compared to Waterloo and Columbia, with only two gaming establishments and eight terminals.

The total amount played in Valmeyer for 2023 was $1.6 million, with $1.5 won.

Patrons of Valmeyer’s video gaming duo put $574,169 into their machines, receiving $434,957 and providing the terminals with a net income of $139,211.

Compared to the previous year, Valmeyer’s numbers are up by just over $100,000, with $454,130 put in, $345,075 coming out and a $109,054 NTI for 2022.

The big earner in Valmeyer was Mike’s Convenience & Service with a $79,483 NTI, though Corner Pub wasn’t too far behind with $59,728.

The village’s gaming terminals paid a total of $47,332 in taxes, with Valmeyer keeping $6,960.

A total of five gaming establishments and 26 terminals are also under Monroe County’s purview as they’re located in some of the more rural areas.

These locations saw a total of $8.2 million played and $7.5 million won.

Patrons in the county put $2.8 million into these terminals and got $2.1 million out. These five establishments had an NTI of $701,720.

The county’s income figures are actually slightly down compared to 2022. That year saw $2.9 million go into the terminals, $2.2 come out and an NTI of $726,699.

Most activity took place at Midwest Petroleum Company near Red Bud with a $279,101 NTI. Following were Crazy Train Saloon & Grill in Burksville with $140,692, Freeda’s On Main in Renault with $133,243, Route 3 Bar & Grill – now known as The Silo – with $117,973 and Dreamland Palace in Foster Pond with $30,708.

Concerning taxes, these locations paid $238,585 in NTI tax, with $35,086 going to the county.

Monroe County Treasurer Kevin Koenigstein said the taxes collected by the county go into the general fund, though they’re ultimately just a drop in the bucket.

“$36,000 sounds like a lot of money, but when you work with a $10 million budget, then it puts it more in perspective of where things go,” Koenigstein said. “That doesn’t mean that we don’t use that money to help clean the (Monroe County Courthouse) bandstand and have various events on the courthouse grounds, it’s just such a small portion of the total budget. We know it’s out there, but it isn’t moving the needle.”