Lawmakers in the state of Illinois are seriously considering legalizing video poker and other electronic gambling devices throughout the state. With a maximum of 5 devices per location, this would be similar to–but smaller than–Nevada’s restricted licenses, which permit bars to have up to 15 machines. From the Chicago Tribune:
Video poker has long been a wink-and-a-nod business for bars, restaurants and social clubs across the state, but now Illinois lawmakers want to legalize gambling on the machines and tap the revenue to pay for new schools, bridges and roads.
Opponents say that amounts to a massive expansion of gambling — 45,000 machines or more — that will add to social problems and make it harder to break organized crimes grip on an industry where patrons routinely get under-the-table payouts for playing games that are supposed to be for "entertainment only."
Such fears have kept Illinois from joining the short list of states that allow widespread electronic gambling, but this spring the issue has zoomed to the top of the list for starving politicians looking to fund the first major construction program in the state in nearly a decade.
Legislators who were once put off when former Gov. Rod Blagojevich called video poker the "crack cocaine" of gambling now see it as more palatable than alternatives such as raising the gas tax — especially given the payoff they could get at ribbon cuttings for new projects. Theyre even suggesting that legalizing the machines might elbow the mob out of the business.
Illinois lawmakers betting on video gambling — chicagotribune.com.
I bet that the people who own gaming licenses in the Land of Lincoln are thrilled about this. Crippling taxes, smoking restrictions, and now competition from widespread video gambling. It’s not a good time to own a casino in Illinois.
This would be a major expansion of gambling–45,000 machines is a lot of machines. Assuming an average win per day of $150 (which is above the Nevada total but well below the current Illinois casino figure), I get annual revenues of $2,463,750,000. Figuring a state tax rate of fifty percent, that’s about $1.2 billion in new taxes for the legislature to play with.
That’s going to be hard to turn down.
Unbelievable. Illinois has never been friendly to gaming.
We’ll see if they can finally get their act together. The line is +9500 at Cal-Neva.
The reason Illinois is not friendly to gambling is because it is a corrupt state. The reason the gambling industry decided to come to Illinois in the early 1990′s is because 9 million people live in Chicago and its suburbs.
I have frequented many, many, many, many taverns in my years of drinking in the state of Illinois. Some of the taverns in and around Chicago where I have seen video poker machines include Jake’s Pub, Old Munich Inn, Olanigans, St. Pauli’s and the Booby Hatch (which is just over the state line in Wisconsin). An intersting fact is that the first three taverns I named have been in existence since at least the 1930′s (with the Old Munich being the oldest, it opened in the 1880′s).
The mob and the cops get paid off to operate the payouts on these machines which I would assume are lousy. The mob stuff is so overblown in Chicago that it makes me laugh but since Al Capone is from here it’s mob this, mob that, blah, blah, blah.
Where I have seen numerous video poker machines is in central Illinois where I graduated from college at Illinois State in Normal. There was one at the Cellar a tavern I worked at in college. There is also an American Legion Hall in Bloomington (which is next to Normal) where I saw 20 video poker machines against a wall.
But where I have seen plenty of these machines is in taverns in small towns around Normal which would include Hudson, El Paso, Merna and Danvers. The bar owners pay off the cops or the sherriff (mobsters don’t hang out in central Illionis) and video poker machines are plentiful down there.
Considering the state of Illinois is $11 billion dollars in debt they have to do something. I think they will pass this law and piss off Tom Grey (the anti-gambling advocate) even more.
Everyone have a nice Memorial Day weekend.
Paul, New Jersey is a corrupt state and still can regulate and understand how the gaming industry works. Being corrupt is no excuse for completely screwing the industry.
No Illinois politicians are simply stupid. Look at Blago. He KNEW they were coming after him and still he took bribes. Look at Ryan. Went to jail, for God’s sake.
No, stupidity is not a crime, but it has served to make that state the laughing stock of the gaming industry.
And the really stupid ones? The ones who are still operating there…..
You are 100% percent correct dave202. Illinois is the laughing stock of the gambling industry.
Until Patrick Fitzgerald was hired on September 1, 2001 as the US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Illinois politicians ran their “shell game” and pretty much did whatever they wanted.
When Blago went on the David Letterman show a couple of months ago Letterman ripped him pretty good. Blago is going to jail soon hopefully maybe him and Ryan can share a jail cell.
Jack Binion gets the last laugh here!
BTW Schopenhauer, I love the Cal Neva and always have. What did you mean by the “The line is +9500 at Cal-Neva”? I heard there was recently an auction for the place and no one showed up! Too bad. The “Lady of the Lake” has such great gaming history.