KEY TAKEAWAYS
The Illinois Gaming Board on October 22, 2026 approved a proposed rule that would bring the state’s video gaming terminals into its voluntary Self-Exclusion Program, filling a coverage gap that Capitol News Illinois described as one of the program’s largest. Under the board’s announcement, anyone enrolled could shut themselves out of a network of roughly 50,000 machines through identity checks at video gaming redemption terminals. The same package would also lay out rules for optional player accounts, cash-free play and patron-set limits.
The vote was unanimous, according to Capitol News Illinois. Nothing is in force yet. The proposal now goes to the legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, a review that typically takes six months to a year and includes a public comment period. The action follows a September 4 board resolution that made video gaming integration official agency policy, and it comes while the state’s technology vendor works on upgrades to the machines themselves.
What the Illinois Gaming Board Approved
The board’s action on October 22 was a vote on a proposed rule, not a final one. The Illinois Gaming Board said the measure adds video gaming to the Self-Exclusion Program, a voluntary list that lets people with gambling disorders bar themselves from gambling venues. Until now, the program has covered casinos, sports wagering and fantasy contests, but not the state’s video gaming network, which the board calls the biggest network of its type anywhere.
Administrator Marcus D. Fruchter framed the move in public-health terms. “Integrating Illinois video gaming into the existing Self-Exclusion Program is a gaming integrity and public health priority for the IGB,” he said in the board’s announcement. He added that the rule would align video gaming’s protections with those already operating at casinos and sportsbooks in the state.
The package contains two linked pieces. The first is the self-exclusion mechanism itself, built around identity verification at the redemption terminals already installed in licensed video gaming establishments. The second is a set of cashless provisions: operators of terminals could opt to provide cash-free play and loyalty rewards tied to individual patron accounts, and every such account must let its holder set personal limits.
The board handled other business at the same meeting. It approved amendments to rules covering non-gaming employees at Illinois casinos, following a 2025 change to the Illinois Gambling Act that removed licensing requirements for those positions in favor of identification badges. It also accepted an initial renewal request for the casino owner’s license held by HC Aurora, LLC, which operates Hollywood Casino Aurora, and set that matter for final consideration on December 10, 2026.
How Video Gaming Self-Exclusion Would Work
Capitol News Illinois reported that the proposal would change how money gets onto a video gaming terminal. Machines would no longer take cash directly. Players would instead buy vouchers at a payout device, paying with cash or through a digital video gaming account. Both routes would require identity verification confirming the player is at least 21 and not on the self-exclusion list.
The table below summarizes the main elements of the proposal as described by the board and by Capitol News Illinois. All of them remain subject to change during rulemaking.
| Element | What the proposal describes |
|---|---|
| Identity verification | Required before a voucher can be bought; confirms age 21 or older and absence from the exclusion list |
| Cash | Terminals stop accepting it directly; cash can still buy vouchers at the redemption terminal after verification |
| Player accounts | Optional; funded through approved payment methods, with age and identity checks, privacy and security controls, KYC and anti-money-laundering requirements |
| Responsible gaming limits | Every account must let the patron set personal limits |
| Marketing | No promotional material for people on the exclusion list; reward programs allowed for everyone else |
Accounts are voluntary
Both sources are explicit that using an account would be optional. A player who prefers cash could keep using it, though only after identity verification at the redemption device. Operators that choose to offer accounts would have to give players limit-setting tools, actively keep excluded people from opening accounts and stay away from sending them promotions.
The hardware behind it
According to Capitol News Illinois, the biggest obstacle has been technology: connecting roughly 50,000 machines to the state-maintained list without compromising data privacy. The board has hired LNW Gaming, a slot and table game manufacturer, to upgrade the terminals. Fruchter told the outlet he was confident the upgrade work could be deployed next year.
How Illinois Got Here
The October 22 vote is the second step in a sequence. On September 4, 2026, the board took two actions. It revised the Self-Exclusion Program rules to set tiered enrollment terms that run from six months to an indefinite period, with one-, three- and five-year options in between, and it adopted a resolution declaring that incorporating video gaming into the program is the board’s public policy. The board said at the time that no changes took effect that day.
The September rules also authorized additional enrollment routes. Enrollment has required appearing in person at one of about 41 board-sanctioned sites, including the state’s 17 casinos. The board said it could add options such as a notarized mail process, a treatment-provider referral or an online portal once further review and stakeholder engagement are complete. A third change created a voluntary Marketing Exclusion List that extends the bar on targeted marketing for a default 12 months after a person’s exclusion term ends.
In that September announcement, the board endorsed a specific method for video gaming: identity card readers on the redemption terminals already in licensed establishments, combined with ticket-in, ticket-out technology. It listed the remaining steps as technical standards, proposed implementing rules and stakeholder engagement. The October proposal is the implementing rule that the September resolution called for.
Why the Change Matters for Players and Operators
The practical effect for players would be significant. People who exclude themselves today from casinos and sportsbooks still have no way to block themselves from video gaming terminals, which are spread across licensed establishments statewide. Closing that gap would give a person who struggles with video gaming a tool comparable to the one available for other forms of legal gambling in Illinois.
The scale of the market explains the board’s emphasis. Capitol News Illinois reported that video gaming generated over $1 billion in state and local taxes in the last fiscal year, while players lost more than $3.3 billion. The outlet described the machines as the state’s highest-grossing source of wagering revenue.
For licensed operators and establishment owners, the proposal points toward a different operating model. A cash-free terminal tied to vouchers and optional accounts changes how money is handled on site. Capitol News Illinois noted that cash-filled machines have contributed to burglaries at locations, although Fruchter said reducing that risk was a byproduct and that the main goal was matching practices already standard elsewhere in the industry, including cashless wagering and player accounts.
What the Proposal Does and Does Not Mean
The most important limit is timing. A proposed rule has no legal force until it clears the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. Capitol News Illinois put the usual duration at six months to a year, and said the administrator expects the technology to be deployable next year. Readers should not read the October 22 vote as a start date for video gaming self-exclusion.
The proposal also does not settle every concern. Capitol News Illinois pointed out that cashless wagering can reduce friction for bettors and may lead them to spend more. It cited a six-month case study by Acres Manufacturing, a Las Vegas company that sells cashless technology, which found that cashless players bought 92% more credits per session than cash players. That figure comes from the vendor’s own study and is not a finding by the Gaming Board.
Fruchter said the question of cashless wagering’s effect on spending is one of the issues the board wants to take up during public comment. Finally, enrollment remains voluntary: the program depends on individuals choosing to sign up, and nothing in the proposal makes participation automatic.
Illinois Gambling Market Context
Illinois is a large and varied regulated market. As of the board’s October 22 announcement, the state has 17 casinos and 14 sportsbooks that are active and approved, along with close to 9,000 licensed video gaming locations hosting roughly 50,000 terminals. The existing Self-Exclusion Program already reaches the first two of those categories, which leaves video gaming, the state’s highest-grossing source of wagering revenue according to Capitol News Illinois, outside it.
The licensing activity reported at the same meeting gives a sense of that scale. The board issued 81 video gaming establishment licenses and four terminal operator licenses, and denied six establishment applications. On the casino side it approved 466 Level 2 occupational licenses, and for sports wagering it approved 234 Level 2 occupational licenses.
What Happens Next
The next formal step is review by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, with a public comment period that the board has encouraged all stakeholders to use. The board’s next meeting is scheduled for December 10, 2026, when it will also take up the Hollywood Casino Aurora license renewal.
After rulemaking, the board and LNW Gaming still have to finish the terminal upgrades. Illinois residents who need help with gambling can reach the state helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER or visit AreYouReallyWinning.com, according to the board.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
- Illinois Gaming Board — IGB Approves Proposed Rule to Integrate Video Gaming into the Self-Exclusion Program (October 22, 2026)
- Illinois Gaming Board — IGB Approves Modernization Measures to Expand the Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program (September 4, 2026)
- Capitol News Illinois — Illinois regulators move to bring video gambling under self-exclusion program (October 22, 2026)
