Illinois Poker Rooms Could Reopen Any Day Now

See this page for the latest updates on Illinois casinos. 

---

For the first time in more than a year, all of Illinois’ casino areas are closed, but they are free to resume whenever they like.

The Elgin Grand Victoria Casino, Aurora Hollywood Casino and Jumer’s Casino & Hotel have poker rooms.

According to ICGA Executive Director Tom Swoik, poker rooms and buffet service can now reopen, the Illinois Gaming Board ( IGB ) sent a memo to the organization on Friday.

Standard regulations on social distance, masks, etc. are still pending in casinos. However, the decision is now in their judge.

Casinos are still operating at 50% capacity, as mandated by Phase4 of its COVID-19 reopening guidelines. The pandemic situation continues to improve in the Land of Lincoln, so the capacity numbers should also rise in the coming weeks.

On June 11, Illinois hopes to resume entirely.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced last week that he plans to fully reopen the state on June 11, barring “any significant reversals in our key COVID-19 statewide indicators.”

Gambling would then be available at full capacity rather than just 50 %. Casinos being able to resume poker rooms makes sense as a result.

At this point, the decision is up to the casinos. One casino, Joliet Harrah & rsquo, permanently closed its poker room during the pandemic.

It & rsquo, it’s also important to note that Illinois will continue to adhere to face mask guidelines from the CDC despite plans to completely reopen the state. Therefore, there will still be a mask requirement once gambling reopen poker rooms.

Illinois will enter the & ldquo, bridge phase, and rndquo on May 14 — one step away from a full reopening. The capacity restriction at the majority of indoor venues will increase from 50 % to 60 % during this phase.

The rules for the poker room seem to follow the gate period.

Could Illinois immediately experience online poker?

There are House and Senate bills that would legalize online casino games in Illinois, including online poker. The bills also specifically mention live dealer versions of those games.

There was a House Executive Committee hearing in late April, where lawmakers and witnesses discussedHB 3142. Proponents noted how online versions of casino games could support casinos during closures.

Meanwhile, critics used the video gaming terminal ( VGT ) sector to argue against online casinos. Some worry that legalizing online casinos may wipe out the VGT sector.

It is still unclear whether the House will pass any gaming-related policy during the course of its discussion of online casino policy in May.

This would be important for poker people in the Land of Lincoln given the dearth of poker rooms in Illinois.

How some games are there in Illinois?

Illinois casinos does reopen at full power in June for the first time in more than a year.

There are a total of 10 games in Illinois. They are:

• Alton’s Argosy Casino
• DraftKings at the Queen Casino
• Elgin Grand Victoria Casino
• Joliet Harrah & rsquo
• Metropolis Harrah & rsquo, s
• Aurora Hollywood Casino
• Joliet at the Hollywood Casino
• Jumer & rsquo, s Hotel & nbsp, Casino & amp,
• Game line a dice
• Casino Rivers

There are also six additional casino licenses up for grabs, including the future Chicago casino. We will be tracking whether or not the new casinos plan to have poker rooms as we learn more details.