Time sure does fly, and it doesn’t seem that over a decade has passed by regarding the legalizing of video poker and slot machines in Illinois, however the supposed billions of dollars that those now legal gaming machines were to generate for the state in revenue haven’t materialized.
One of the driving forces of having legalized gaming machines permitted throughout the state of Illinois was the revenue that they would generate for the state coffers along with the many jobs that industry would generate.
In fact, there are now some 30.000+ gaming machines of every possible description operated outside of casino properties in Illinois and it is fair to say that anybody that does wish to play and gamble on such machines will not have very far to travel to get to a venue at which they are available.
Believe it or not there are now more such gaming machines outside of land based casinos in Illinois than there are in places such as Nevada or Atlantic City, which does enlighten you on how profitable those machines are.
However, the problem appears to be that the income those gaming machines were supposed to generate for the state have not been forthcoming, and there are several reasons for that, with the main one being that the legislators made mistakes regarding the share of those gaming machines income the state would be paid, thus helping the profitability of the companies operating them to the detriment of the state.
In an attempt to correct the imbalance state regulators are now looking into expanding the gambling opportunities within the state. This could see many new land based casinos being approved, allowing higher betting and gambling limits and even more gaming machines being licensed throughout the state.
