The Illinois Gaming Board held its monthly meeting on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. The meeting was hybrid with in-person accessibility at 160 N. LaSalle St., 5th Floor Auditorium and via livestream. Board members present at this meeting included Chairperson Hayden, Member Brannon, Member Ferrara and newly appointed Member Caleb Melamed. At the time of this publication, Member Melamed’s biography was not available on the IGB’s website, however, his name may be familiar because he has spent the last 20 years as the IGB’s legislative counsel.
This month’s meeting began with the approval of the minutes of the regular Board Meeting from Thursday, July 31, 2025. The Board also approved the consideration of closed session minutes from certain 2024 meetings, making them available to the public. The minutes from the March, April, June, September, October and December 2024 meetings will be disseminated, but the June 2021 and all 2025 minutes remain closed at this time. The meeting then continued with the Board Member Comments.
Board Member Comments
Member Melamed spoke briefly to remember previous IGB Chairman Aaron Jaffe and stated that the Chairman passed away earlier this week. Chairman Jaffe will be remembered for his role in ensuring strong regulations for video gaming as he was the Chairman at the time of its legalization.
Administrator’s Report
The Administrator began his comments by honoring the victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attack as well as their families, who have been impacted for the last 24 years.
Next, the Administrator discussed September as National Responsible Gaming Education Month and emphasized the IGB’s commitment to reducing the risk of problem gambling and maintaining the safety of responsible gaming during September and all year round. He stated that the IGB will work with other stakeholders to ensure assistance to those who struggle with problem gambling and provided resources, such as the IGB’s site regarding problem gaming and the state’s site at Are You Really Winning - Illinois Helpline. Relatedly, the Administrator stated that it is always the safest practice to only patronize legal and licensed gambling/sports wagering providers, and mentioned HB 2879, which removes unlawful gaming sites and companies. The full text of the bill can be found here: Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status of HB2879.
The Administrator switched gears to briefly mention that the new location for HC Joliet, LLC d/b/a Hollywood Casino Joliet opened Aug. 11, 2025.
The Administrator also took a moment to discuss the passage of HB 2947 which allows individuals who may have prohibitive backgrounds to be employed by casinos in non-gaming positions. Effective immediately, HB 2947 provides that the IGB shall not require individuals hired exclusively to perform functions that are not related in any way to gaming operations to hold an occupational license. It also provides that the Board may issue a non-gaming identification badge upon payment of a non-refundable annual fee set by the IGB, to these non-gaming employees and sets forth eligibility requirements for a non-gaming identification badge. Notably, the IGB can rescind the non-gaming badge for just cause; some level 3 positions will be elevated to level 2; and each casino must submit their badge designs in accordance with Casino Rule 245. The Administrator stated that a memo will be sent to all area casinos but the full bill can be found here: Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status of HB2947.
The Administrator then spoke about the new advertising rules for Casinos, Video Gaming and Sports Wagering, stating that there will be a grace period as licensees must take active steps to comply with these new rules. If there is a marketing campaign currently in place or if licensees foresee any issues in their ability to comply, an email should be sent to the IGB legal department at IGB.Legal@illinois.gov. Please also reach out to us at Fox Rothschild if you have any questions in complying with these new requirements.
Next, the Administrator briefly revisited the proposal of making charitable donations via kiosks at Illinois casinos and video gaming locations. He stated that they are still accepting public comments on the matter at IGB.directorofpolicy@illinois.gov and reminded those interested to submit comments by 11:59 p.m., September 19, 2025.
Lastly, the Administrator provided the industry revenue numbers. In total, the combined industries of Video Gaming, Sports Wagering and Casino activity reported thus far for January through August 2025 (taking into consideration reporting limitations at the time of the Administrator’s comments) have generated approximately $1.041 billion in state taxes and $181 million in taxes for local communities.
In July, VGTs generated approximately $91.9 million in taxes with the state’s share being approximately $78 million and the location municipalities receiving approximately $13 million. Casinos in August yielded roughly $51 million in tax revenue, with $41 million in taxes going to the state and $10 million to host communities. For individualized revenue from Sports Wagering activity, please visit the IGB’s website.
Notably, according to the Administrator, there are 8,766 live video gaming locations offering approximately 49,613 Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs) and the Ticket In, Ticket Out (TITO) system has been implemented in 24,342 VGTs at 8,000+ locations.
Administrative Matters
During the Administrative section of the meeting, the Administrator provided a brief overview of the Administrator Delegation Resolution (Resolution) which (having been implemented during the pandemic) delegated certain authority to the Administrator, including granting or approving certain licensing items. The Resolution has periodically been renewed and amended at various times since its inception but is always pending the Board’s approval. At this month’s meeting, the IGB voted to again amend the Resolution and delegate authority to the Administrator to issue licenses on a set monthly date to those 1) establishments, 2) terminal handlers and 3) terminal technicians where there are no known concerns. Similarly, the IGB approved delegating authority to the Administrator to find suitable those Key Persons who are already licensed or were previously found suitable. It should be noted that the Board still has the authority to deny licenses/suitability at monthly meetings. The Administrator stated he expects this to take effect in October.
Casino
The Casino portion of this meeting began with the Board granting the request for final consideration of an owner license renewal for Casino Queen, LLC d/b/a DraftKings at Casino Queen.
Additionally, the Board approved the following Key Persons and Level 1 Occupational Licenses:
- Tiffany Jo Werner for her role as Regional Director of Internal Audit for 1) Alton Casino, LLC d/b/a Argosy Casino Alton, 2) HC Aurora, LLC d/b/a Hollywood Casino Aurora, and 3) HC Joliet, LLC d/b/a Hollywood Casino Joliet.
- Nicholas Ronald Khin for his role as President/Director of IGT.
- Damian Sebastian Wieja for his role as Director of Gaming Operations for 815 Entertainment LLC d/b/a Hard Rock Casino Rockford.
- Travis Lee Clarke for his role as Vice President of Operations for Fairmount Park, Inc. d/b/a Fairmount Park Casino & Racing.
Additionally, the Board approved 200 initial casino occupational level 2 licenses and issued a notice of denial to one individual. The Board also denied the Requests of Hearing from two level 3 occupational licensee applicants as both requests allegedly failed to prove prima facie cases and meet certain filing requirements, such as a verification of the hearing request.
The Administrator then issued renewals to all occupational licensees that were up for renewal and had provided updated information, timely paid their renewal fees and complied with all other requirements.
Sports Wagering
The Sports Wagering portion of the meeting began with the Board finding suitability for 1) Nicholas Ronald Khin for his role as President/Director for IGT.
Additionally, the Board approved 201 initial casino occupational level 2 licenses. No denials were issued.
The Administrator then issued renewals to all occupational licensees that were up for renewal and had provided updated information, timely paid their renewal fees and complied with all other requirements.
Video Gaming
The Video Gaming portion of the meeting began with the Board approving the terminal operator license of SA Entertainment, LLC, granting 42 terminal handlers and 72 location applicants for licensure. The Board denied the location license application of JK Investments Holding LLC d/b/a KC Liquor and Munoz Group, Inc. d/b/a Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant. The Administrator then, by the authority delegated to him to deny applicants which are prohibited by statute and rules, denied Rushi Veer LLC d/b/a Shiloh Spins & Spirits.
The Administrator also renewed the terminal handler, technician, and location licensees that were up for renewal and had provided updated information to the IGB, timely paid their renewal fees, and complied with all other requirements.
To conclude the meeting, the Administrator stated that the Oct. 23, 2025 meeting is cancelled and the next meeting will be held on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.
[View source.]
