CHICAGO CITY HALL (WBBM Newsradio) -- The city of Chicago is a step closer to letting your local bar or tavern put in a video gambling machine, and there's word that the interest is already high.
Far South side Ald. Anthony Beale, who led the drive to include legalized video gambling in this year's budget, said Friday that he's been told hundreds of applications have already been filed with state regulators, less than 24 hours after the Illinois Gaming Board began accepting those applications.
"It's a lifeline for a lot of our restaurants and bars and taverns," said Ald. Beale (9th Ward) after a committee meeting at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle. "They can have an infusion of a couple hundred thousand dollars per location."
Even though revenue from video gambling licenses was included in this year's budget, Mayor Brandon Johnson had been holding off on sending the required notification to the state, telling reporters after a February 18 City Council meeting that he'd heard concerns from a number of aldermen.
"It's not just me. It's about getting it right," the Mayor said. "I don't think these concerns are insurmountable, and we have to ensure that there's justice and equity."
Ultimately, City Council voted to compel City Clerk Anna Valencia to notify the Gaming Board, which formally happened on February 24.
"It's really something we should have done a long time ago," said Ald. Beale, who said he hoped the city would take action against the roughly 3,000 illegal "sweepstakes" machines installed across the city.