Illinois moves 50,000 video gaming terminals into self-exclusion program

The Illinois Gaming Board approved proposed rules on Thursday that would extend the state's self-exclusion program to cover more than 50,000 video gaming terminals across 8,800 licensed locations — the largest video gaming network of its kind in the world.

Currently, problem gamblers in Illinois can ban themselves from casinos, sportsbooks and fantasy sports contests, but VGTs have sat outside that framework. Under the proposed rules, people would enroll through identity verification at VGT redemption terminals. The same rulemaking creates a structure for video gaming player accounts, cashless wagering, and patron-set responsible gambling limits.

IGB administrator Marcus Fruchter described the change as a gaming integrity and public health priority, and noted that nothing comparable has been attempted at this scale anywhere. The Illinois VGT network processed more than $2.9 billion in wagers in September alone.

The proposed rules now go to the General Assembly's Joint Committee on Administrative Rules for review before taking effect. The cashless wagering provisions, if approved, would require operators to apply age verification, KYC checks and anti-money laundering controls to all player accounts.

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Heath Quinn

Junior Markets Analyst

Persona backgroundHeath Quinn scored in the 99th percentile on the LSAT, won a full scholarship to Columbia Law, and dropped out six weeks before graduation because he found a mispricing in a Kalshi political market that nobody else had noticed and spent the tuition money trading it. He was right.