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State of Play’s TL;DR
- The Illinois Gaming Board unanimously approved a proposed rule that would extend the state’s voluntary self-exclusion program to roughly 50,000 video gaming terminals.
- Also, video gaming machines could no longer accept cash directly. Instead, players would buy vouchers at a redemption terminal or use an account.
Illinois is moving to bring its vast video gaming market into the state’s voluntary self-exclusion program. If approved, the change would extend responsible gambling protections to roughly 50,000 terminals and add new rules for player accounts, cashless play, and spending controls.
The Illinois Gaming Board approved the proposed rule at its Oct. 22 meeting. It still needs approval from the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules before it can take effect, and the board is also seeking public comment.
Proposed rule would close a major self-exclusion gap
Illinois already lets people exclude themselves from casinos, sports wagering, and fantasy contests, but not from video gaming terminals. The new proposal would change that across what the board describes as one of the largest video gaming markets anywhere.
IGB Administrator Marcus D. Fruchter called the move “a gaming integrity and public health priority for the IGB.” He added:
“Nothing like this has been implemented at the size and scale of the Illinois video gaming market, which is the largest video gaming network of its kind in the world.”
The board also recently updated its broader self-exclusion rules, including tiered enrollment durations, expanded enrollment channels, and a voluntary 12-month Marketing Exclusion List for people leaving the program.
Cashless play and player accounts are also part of the plan
The proposal goes beyond self-exclusion. Under the rule, video gaming machines would no longer accept cash directly. Instead, players would buy vouchers at a redemption terminal with cash or use a video gaming account, with identity verification required to confirm they are at least 21 and not on the self-exclusion list.
Accounts would be optional, but operators that offer them could also provide cashless wagering and player rewards. Those accounts would have to meet privacy, security, know-your-customer, and anti-money laundering requirements. Every account would also need to include tools that let patrons set their own responsible gambling limits.
Operators offering accounts would be barred from allowing self-excluded players to open them and could not send those players promotional materials.
What comes next for Illinois operators and players
The rule now heads to JCAR. The IGB has contracted with LNW Gaming to upgrade machines, and Fruchter said he was confident the work would be ready to deploy next year.
The proposal would affect a major gambling segment in Illinois. According to Capitol News Illinois, video gaming generated more than $1 billion in state and local tax revenue last fiscal year, while players lost more than $3.3 billion. For now, self-exclusion lists still apply only to state-regulated gambling.
The Illinois Gambling Helpline is available at 1-800-GAMBLER, by text to ILGAMB (833234), or at AreYouReallyWinning.com.
Based on reporting by Sergey Demidov for RG.org.
