Video Gaming Terminals Coming To An Illinois Fair Near You — Next Year

Illinois fairs will soon feature film games, but we won’t see it in use until 2021.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed SB 516 into law last week, which will allow for video gaming terminals (VGTs) at the Springfield and Du Quoin state fairgrounds.

But both fairs are canceled this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, Illinoisans will have to wait another year before they can enjoy them.

The bill permits as many as 30 VGTs at the Du Quoin State Fair and 50 at a state good in Illinois once they are able to.

Three terminal operators with Illinois Gaming Board licenses will be selected by the Illinois Department of Agriculture( IDOA ), and they will run for three years.

It & rsquo, which is good news for customers and the state, but to what extent?

State representative slams aspirations

Rep. Tim Butler( R-Springale) was a strong supporter of adding VGTs to state fair, but he doesn’t anticipate them to generate revenue.

Butler told the State-Journal Register in 2019 that & ldquo,” I have not seen any hard data on what exactly that could bring in potentially.”

It’s not going to be a huge sum of money, & ldquo, It & rsquo. While you & rsquo, you’re only talking about the 10 day run of the fair and 50 machines, respectively. & rdquo,

The terminals will be in the beer tents, Butler said, as you have to be 21 years or older. All proceeds will be deposited into the State Fairgrounds Capital Improvements and HarnessRacingFund.

Impacts of SB 516 on Chicago casinos

The bill also makes Chicago’s downtown casino project more feasible by amending its tax code, a potential boon to the Illinois economy for years to come.

& ldquo, Pritzker told TheLansing Journal,” Thousands of Illinoisans will be working on these projects, earning a good living to support their families as we do the crucial work of rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and investing in the future.”

The legislation brings Illinois & rsquo’s gaming package to a close.

To put it mildly, the game initiative has had a rough beginning. Tax debates have been heated, but there has been no agreement on a site. But, SB 516 offers new andldquo, opportunity tax, and schedules especially for the Chicago casino, which ought to speed up the procedure.

Here is the updated Chicago game income schedule, courtesy of The Lansing Journal.

Chicago game income schedule

Slots

Gross Revenue Adjusted	State	City	Total
between$ 0 and$ 25 million	12%	10.5%	22.5%
$ 25 million to$ 50 million	16%	14%	30%
$ 50 million to$ 75 million	20.1%	17.4%	37.5%
$ 75 million to$ 100 million	21.4%	18.6%	40%
$ 100 million to$ 150 million	22.7%	19.8%	42.5%
$ 150 million to$ 225 million	24.1%	20.9%	45%
$ 225 million to$ 1 billion	26.8%	23.2%	50%
$ 1 billion or more	40%	34.7%	74.7%

activities at tables

Gross Revenue Adjusted	State	City	Total
between$ 0 and$ 25 million	8.1%	6.9%	15%
$ 25,000,000 to$ 75,000,000	10.7%	8.4%	19.1%
$ 75 million to$ 175 million	11.2%	9.8%	21%
$ 225 million to$ 175 million	13.5%	11.5%	25%
$ 225 million to$ 275 million	15.1%	12.9%	28%
$ 275 million to$ 375 million	16.2%	13.8%	30%
$ 375 million or more	18.9%	16.1%	35%

The rates are mostly in line with the figures reported in May, with a slight change to the highest table game revenues. While the rates themselves aren’t much different from when the tax code was effectively a death sentence for the project, the graduated tier thresholds are.

Lori Lightfoot, the mayor of Chicago, said:

& ldquo, The Chicago casino has now been passed into law, opening the door for a revolutionary new funding source for Illinois & rsquo infrastructure, as well as bolstering the city’s own sizable pension obligations, and acting as the catalyst for an exciting new entertainment district in our city. & rdquo,

When was the last time the State Fair didn’t take place? During World War II

That & rsquo, you’re right, since 1945, the Springfield State Fair has been a yearly event.

Furthermore, the Illinois State Fair saw 509,000 people in 2019, according to the IDOA.

Butler thought that the fair could have been accomplished with cultural seclusion steps and a constrained power.

Butler told the Chicago Sun-Times,”& ldquo, I think the potential existed to think of this in another way, but the avenue was never there from the governor & rsquo’s operation to have those discussions.