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- Video gambling devices are now legal in more than 200 municipalities across the six-county Chicago metropolitan area, according to a recent Chicago Sun-Times review of Illinois Gaming Board data, meaning nearly 80% of the region now allows the terminals to operate.
- While the machines have saturated counties like Kane, McHenry, and Will, roughly 40% of communities in DuPage and Lake counties—alongside wealthier North Shore suburbs—continue to ban them, highlighting a deepening municipal divide as towns balance the promise of new tax revenue against concerns over local oversaturation and the potential cannibalization of massive developments like Bally’s Chicago casino.
Video gambling devices are now legal in more than 200 municipalities across the six-county Chicago metropolitan area, with nearly 80% of the region allowing the machines to some degree, according to a Chicago Sun-Times review of Illinois Gaming Board data published Oct. 5.
The findings show how widely the terminals have spread across one of the country’s largest metro areas, even as more than 60 communities still ban them and some local officials are reconsidering how much gaming they want within town limits—reflecting a broader regional expansion that mirrors how digital gaming, sports betting, and regulated online casino infrastructure continue to push deeper into traditional community markets.
County split shows where bans still hold
The Sun-Times review found video gambling is legal in virtually every town in Kane, McHenry, and Will counties. By contrast, nearly 40% of communities in DuPage and Lake counties still prohibit the machines.
Some of the region’s wealthier North Shore suburbs remain opposed, including Evanston, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Wilmette, and Winnetka. The article noted that lower-income south suburbs such as Dixmoor and Ford Heights generally allow the devices.
The issue is not settled everywhere. Bolingbrook recently ended its ban and legalized video slots after a referendum, while Winfield has an advisory referendum planned for spring to gauge support for lifting its prohibition.
Casino-market tensions and local restrictions remain
The expansion also overlaps with casino-market concerns in the Chicago area. The source article says Chicago legalized video gambling machines last year, a move opposed by Mayor Brandon Johnson and developers of Bally’s Chicago casino, who argued the devices could cannibalize the casino’s local market.
Several municipalities that already host casinos, including Elgin, Joliet, and Waukegan, also allow video gambling elsewhere within their borders. Des Plaines is an exception, as it does not allow video gambling despite hosting a casino. Rosemont permits a limited amount of video gambling, according to the report.
Some communities are now moving in the opposite direction. In North Chicago, officials are tightening restrictions to “reduce the amount of gaming in town,” Greg Jackson, chief of staff to Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr., told the Sun-Times. Jackson said officials also “didn’t want to be known as a little Vegas.”
The review also cited critics who warned about oversaturation and broader social effects as the machines continue to expand across the region.
Source: As reported by Kevin Walsh.
